


My Other Half [hiatus - editing]

by Listen_to_my_Melodia



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Because I love them too, Day6 Ensemble, Entertainment, Fluff, GOT7 - Freeform, Glossophobia, Jae and Sammy together are too much fun, Kinda, Let's be honest this is very JaeBri centric, M/M, Romance, Sungjin and Dowoon are supporting roles, Trainee, also Brian and JB are BFF, especially Dowoon, kpop world is hard, lot of music references, poor kid is barely there, the rose - Freeform, wonpil appears later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-08-01 07:48:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 45,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16280531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listen_to_my_Melodia/pseuds/Listen_to_my_Melodia
Summary: [updated]Jaehyung can't perform and Younghyun doesn't sing, so their agency decides to match them to be one single performer. Two artists to create one idol.Somewhere on the path, they fall in love and learn - together - how hard the entertainment industry can be for two young struggling souls.[...]“Sorry?" Younghyun exclaimed in disbelief. "You want me to lip-synch his songs?""Not lip-synch..." the director scolded the trainee for his blaspheme, "think about it as a duet where he will sing and you'll appear on stage," he added with a confident smile.Disclaimer: The agency is NoT JYP. It is fully made-up and I only borrowed some of their artists' names (and I like JYP, I wouldn't want to make them look bad).





	1. *oO0°1°0Oo*

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it... because I do XDDD  
> This is self-plagia, I wanted to improve this story and decided to make a Day6 remix.
> 
> if you wanna see what the three of them look like together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9gV7URBikg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [updated chapter!]

 

“Come to the studio asap”

Jaehyung re-read the short message for the umpteenth time of the day. He did not know what to expect. Sammy, his best friend had this nerve-wracking tendency to send him the scariest messages for the dumbest matters, but it did not mean he wasn’t a bit worried.

He felt a shiver down his neck and tightened the knot of his scarf. It might not be winter yet, the weather was still too cold for his Californian self. Being born and raised in Los Angeles until he was old enough to move alone, he couldn’t say he was very comfortable with the low temperatures they could reach in Korea.

Despite his weak resistance, he enjoyed the fresh breeze on his face, well-protected by three layers of clothes. As usual, he wandered in the street on his way to Sammy’s studio. Headphones covering his ears and guitar hanging on his back, he shook his head in rhythm as he hummed the song along with the tune. He reached the building quicker than usual.

When he passed the door, he stroked his hands together, feeling a chill run down his spine because of the sudden warmth. Right at the entrance was the old caretaker, who greeted him warmly. Jaehyung interrupted the music and took off the headphones. Through the three years he had been coming here to practice, the man had been nothing but kind to him.

“Good morning~ is everything going well today?” Jaehyung greeted with courtesy.

"Jaehyung-ah!" The old man smiled widely every time he saw him. “Oh, you know there's not much surprise around here.”

“That's true. Nothing ever happens at this side of the city,” he joked.

The man nodded and a short silence took place. The building wasn’t far from the Korea University of Arts, way out of the centre of the city. Most residents were art students, just like his friend and beside some occasional performances at very odd hours, it was peaceful.

“Aren't you early, young man? I can tell you rushed to come here,” the caretaker checked the clock on the wall and laughed at his unmatched clothes and messy hair up slightly amused.

Jaehyung frowned. He had been awakened awfully early. He was not a morning person and it was easy to notice with a single glance.

“I did. Woosung woke me up to talk about something,” he explained, using his friend’s Korean name for the sake of the older man. “He asked me to come as soon as possible so I didn’t have much time to get ready.”

“I see... I hope it’s good news then.”

“I hope too! Have a good day,” Jaehyung waved him goodbye.  

“Play well!” the watchman added as Jaehyung was already rushing to the stairs, climbing the steps two by two.

Had he not been in a rush, Jaehyung would have talked a bit more. He liked how supportive the man was of his and his friends’ projects despite not knowing anything about their music at all. The simple talks they shared were enough to convince him of his dedication. He even stated loud and clear he was ready to attend one of their gigs once they perform, but Jaehyung had not yet been able to satisfy his curiosity.

He felt bad about it, but he had no solution so far. When one sees him at first glance, he did not match the traditional image of a shy person. Maybe he was not. He was not afraid of interacting with people, even if he sometimes struggled to express himself properly in Korean. He might be moderately sociable, he had no problem making friends and could be rather talkative.

It was something entirely different in front of a crowd.

Playing the guitar – his first love – for many people was not much of a problem. A speech or a presentation, though a lot more difficult, was still doable. Singing in public, however, was clearly impossible.

So far, only four persons heard him sing. One being his mother and the other three his closest friends. Sammy was the very first person he open-up to. They knew each other since their high-school days in America when they were still fighting with puberty and identity. When they first met, they were two Korean-American teenagers with a shared passion for music. None of them thought they would still stick together for the next ten years playing the guitar and singing most of the time.

When Sammy first moved to college as a Music major in Korea, he easily convinced his friend of the benefit of studying abroad. Not daring to follow the same course with his phobia, Jaehyung picked literature as his major and music became his hobby.

He liked to read almost as much as he liked music, therefore it seemed like the best compromise. He did not regret his choice, yet he frequently found himself dreaming of a life where his music would be his only income; his voice in everybody’s head and his lyrics on their lips.

Only a few people knew about this deep passion he hid for singing as well as his delusional dream.

“SamSam!” he called when he finally entered the unlocked apartment.

“Oh Jaehyung, already there!” Sammy said, jumping up from the couch. “I didn’t expect you to come so fast.”

His voice seemed insecure. Sammy was never insecure. He was confident and sometimes goofy. Jaehyung looked at him from head to toe, trying to understand what makes him act this way. As an answer, Sammy gave him his brightest smile, the one he was only using on special occasions, and made a sign for him to sit on the couch. His strange behaviour bothered Jaehyung a lot and he frowned while he followed the demand.

“What happened?” He asked a bit anxious.

“Nothing!” Sammy exclaimed. “Nothing you should be afraid of. No murder, no accident, everything is all right... I just wanted to talk.”

Jaehyung sighed of relief, successfully stopping him from imagining another bloody scenario.

“Sungjin and Dowoon aren’t around?” he asked, looking around.

Sungjin and Dowoon were his friends. Both were musicians, respectively guitarist and drummer, as well as the other two persons in this world who hear Jaehyung singing regularly. Jaehyung met them in a club after one of their performances with their underground rock band ‘PowerLive’. They were all around the same age and hit it off easily. Soon, he introduced them to his best friend, when he informed them Sammy himself was a good musician and singer, recently designated teacher assistant at the British music department of the KNUA and member of a relatively-known university band called ‘Windfall’.

It didn’t take them long to join their forces to make Jaehyung regret the moment he introduced them. Eventually, they ended up playing music together and he enjoyed those moments so much he could not complain about their teasing.

It took him two years to hear him sing when they caught him singing before one of their practice when he thought nobody was listening. Dowoon had been amazed, not being much of a singer himself and immediately claimed the first fan position. Numerous supplications later, he managed to loosen up and sing with them. It took him long enough to show such a result, but all three of them were a bit like the brothers he never had, the ones he found as he settled in Seoul. It made it easier to let them in his world.

Consequently, they were the only ones to bother him about his unspoken dream, but Sammy and Sungjin were rather persistent. Not a day passed without one of them asking Jaehyung to sing a song or trying to get him singing in front of someone else. He knew they were being supportive, but all their efforts were unsuccessful.

None of them gave up, and they organised a whole schedule to support him. While Sammy was teaching him everything he learnt at university, from the lecture of the notes to the basics of composition, Sungjin taught him about projection, pronunciation and voice control while Dowoon cheered him endlessly at the side.

Even if he had been reluctant at first, slowly the two of them managed to make him sing in the privacy of Sammy’s home-made studio. They were all very proud of the result as the little team started to write songs together and it helped them grow musically. It also made Jaehyung more grateful he studied literature, it surely helped to write lyrics. Years flew by and Jaehyung could now write songs he would sing later on with his friends.

The time they met without the others were rather rare and Jaehyung could not hide his surprise when he noticed the absence of the two.

“Oh… they’re practising with their band,” Sammy dismissed quickly. He was fidgeting nervously, Jaehyung decided to go straight to the point to avoid thinking too deeply into it.

“So, why did you call me so suddenly?”

Sammy got silent a second and Jaehyung frowned. It might not be an accident, but he knew his friend well enough to know something was going on. Apparently, something he would not be so happy to know.

“Sit down.”

Jaehyung followed the suggestion and started to worry once again.

“Well... you know... hum...”

“Straight to the point Sam’,” Jaehyung called him out.

Sammy sighed and gathered his courage with a deep breath. He looked at his friend directly in the eyes with such determination it disturbed Jaehyung even more. This was not normal. At all.

“Okay,” Sammy said firmly. “Do you remember last week when you played [Sunday Morning](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgUKwxUDtjw&index=5&list=PLdFfk0c9G4Q1PRdVSYrKfY3uHLprv6Iu2&t=0s)?”

“Sunday Morning? The cover?”

“Yeah~” his friend nodded. “Well, I might or might not have recorded it when you were singing...”

Jaehyung's mouth opened in a round 'o'. It was not the first time Sammy recorded one of their songs, be it a cover or a composition. He did it often when one of them wanted to keep a trace of the result before they move on to something else. At first, Jaehyung had been scared, but he grew used to it quicker than they both thought he would.

Sure, it was the first time Sammy recorded without telling him, yet it was not so surprising. Jaehyung just could not see where his friend was going with such information until he decided to explain further.

“I didn’t think much, but it was really good. The sound was so nice and I managed to clean any interference. At first, I really planned to keep it with the other songs you know, but the guitar was wonderful, every note looked at the right place... I guess it's the first time it's so well done…” he stopped for a second and Jaehyung looked at him half-smiling, half-bored.

“So you called me to boast about how well you did this?”

“Not really...”

“So where is it, let's listen if it's so good.”

Instead of replying, Sammy ignored his request and kept talking. “Yesterday, you remember I told you I was meeting a guest for our department since I barely started as an assistant there...”

“Oh right,” Jaehyung nodded, though he did not get why his friend was now changing the subject.

"I met him and we talked a lot. He’s a producer, so I talked about the songs I was working on and I mentioned the one with Sunday Morning. He’s nice, you know, he asked for more info and since I had the record with me, I thought that it was a shame no one but me would hear such a beautiful remix..."

Jaehyung had his gaze focused on him, almost burning his skin as he guessed where Sammy wanted to go without really being able to believe it.

"Then I might have maybe decided to give it to him."

“What?!” Jaehyung exclaimed, eyes wide.

“I gave him. And he said he will listen to it.”

“But… what will he think…”

“Just so you know… this guy is from a famous agency, so he might have mentioned sharing it with his boss if it was good enough…”

Jaehyung did not move for a moment then rushed toward him and grasped his shoulders with both anxiety and shock.

“Oh My... what did you do?!” He exclaimed again, a bit too loud as he shook Sammy, trapped under his firm grip.

“Technically speaking… I gave to a producer the demo of the recording session we did.”

“Why on earth would you do that!”

"To help you of course. You spent half of your life telling me you wanted to be a singer and the way you sing this song is so beautiful... it deserves to be known."

“Yeah, I'd like to,” Jaehyung agreed. “But...”

“No, but, you have to enter a company. They will teach you so you can make it. This is how it works nowadays,” Sammy explained.

“I know that already! But you, better than anyone should know it’s a waste of time!”

“Why? They might like it! If so, it would be a wonderful start!”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Jaehyung replied with a frown. “But it's useless anyway since I can't sing!”

“You can Jaehyung, your voice is amazing.”

“You know what I mean. I can't perform. Worst I can't sing in front of anyone!”

“You can sing in front of me, in front of us,” he added, thinking their two other friends.

“It's different....”

Sammy sighed and finally broke Jaehyung's grip on his shoulders. He knew it would not be as easy as it may look. Though he was sure hundreds of people would die for such a voice. He had accepted and understood Jaehyung's fear, but it did not mean he planned to let him that way forever.

“They could help you,” he stated. “Maybe they can give you tips I don't know or something that would give you the confidence to perform. They could help you become a real artist.”

Jaehyung did not answer, but Sammy knew he was not convinced.

 

At first, Sammy's sudden revelation left him anxious, but as days went by, Jaehyung felt less stressed. He had no news from the producer nor his company. He did not even know if his friend got the record back. If so, he did not mention any feedback. 

He was a bit disappointed thinking he was probably not good enough for such a company. It was not good for his self-esteem to receive the confirmation of how much he was lacking. On the other hand, though, he was relieved knowing he would not have to try singing in front of strangers.

Ten days later, on his way to a way too early morning course, Jaehyung's phone popped with another weird message from Sammy simple reading "Sorry" followed by a ^^' emoji. He replied promptly with a full line of interrogation marks and did not have time to think any further. The device started ringing showing an unknown number, seemingly from an office phone. 

"Mr Park Jaehyung?" The manly voice asked from the receiver.

"Speaking. Can I help you?" Jaehyung said politely.

"We received your recording," the man said without wasting time with formalities such as introducing himself. He took a break, letting time for Jaehyung to register the information. "After deliberation within our casting team, we decided you were suitable for our company and we would like to meet you as soon as possible with the idea of signing you as a trainee."

Jaehyung's eyes widened and his breath got caught under his thorax. He did not even know if he was feeling happy or scared, even less how was he supposed to reply. The man spared him from thinking too deeply about the news as he continued.

"We have availability at 10 AM, tomorrow. Would it be convenient for you?"

"I... well I did not send this actually," Jaehyung tried to explain when he found back his voice, low and trembling.

"Excuse me?"

"I did not send the demo," he said a bit louder.

"You did not sing this demo?" The man asked back.

"No. Yes." Jaehyung stopped and tried to breathe, a thing he seemed to forget how it works at the moment. "Well, I did sing it but I did not send it."

"Oh that's rather frequent," the man stated, not surprised at all, "it will not interfere with the process, rest assured. We would like to meet you to discuss further our offer. So, are you available tomorrow?"

"I am, but..." Jaehyung whispered.

"Then see you tomorrow, Mister Park."

The man hung up, Jaehyung sat on the ground with arms crossed on his chest, still in shock. He had been  _Picked_. They wanted to  _Sign_ him.

The next day, Jaehyung went to the company's building, trembling from head to toe. When he told his name at the entrance, he received a tight-lipped smile from the cold-looking lady behind the desk as she checked something on her register. Soon, another woman, a sweeter-looking one, came to guide him toward the casting director's office. Jaehyung felt even more scared than he already was when the woman left him standing alone in the room.

On his chair, the casting director looked at him with observing eyes. The man's gaze was so strong, so heavy, it made Jaehyung uncomfortable.

"Mister Park Jaehyung right?" 

Jaehyung nodded and the man followed, apparently satisfied by the answer. 

"You're not bad," he finally said after checking him from head to toes a bit too intensely. "You can sit," he added with a smile then made Jaehyung shiver. "Let's do this quickly okay?"

Unable to speak Jaehyung nodded again and it did not seem to bother the director who continued without trying to make Jaehyung feel more at ease.

"I like your voice," the man stated in a tone that showed it was not a compliment he offered frequently. "I'm pretty sure we can make a hit if we work properly about your concept. You don't look too bad, though I would have liked something a bit more powerful."

"Powerful," Jaehyung repeated to himself, blinking as if it could help him understand better.

"We plan to debut a solo artist with a focus on the foreign market. With your background and skills, you can already make it to the shortlist. If we focus on your voice and instruments knowledge, you probably won't need a lot of training, which fits perfectly our calendar... Which means you would be able to début soon," he added, as if the last sentence alone was enough to convince him to follow the suggestion. 

Jaehyung would have sworn the air was becoming hotter as he felt a pearl of sweat roll on his forehead. He gulped and opened his mouth to catch the man attention.

"I can't do it," Jaehyung swallowed, fear readable in his eyes.

The man in front looked at him with an eyebrow up. "What do you mean?"

"I really can't... Sammy... my friend... he rearranged the song and he recorded without telling me and then he told me he did and I told him it's was not a good idea, but then you called and everything went so fast..." Jaehyung went on at frantic rhythm. "But I can't sing in public," he ended with sadness in his voice.

The director sighed and crossed his fingers, putting his elbows on the table. "I see. Just to make sure, this is your voice in this demo, right?"

"Yes," Jaehyung nodded, "but I could only sing because we were alone. I... I've stage fright, I'm not able to perform," he explained, scared, as he bit his low lip.

"Okay... I'll have to discuss with my team," the man stated unhappily before he invited Jaehyung to leave.

 

When the phone rang again, two weeks later, Jaehyung had almost forgotten the 'incident'. He answered carelessly the call like he often does. 

"Park Jaehyung?" He recognized easily his interlocutor who took away his peaceful attitude in a blink. "We did find the perfect solution to fit your problem," the man said with a mix of joy and pride. "If you are still interested in our proposition, you can join our company next week."

Jaehyung's eyes widened, he could not believe it. His dream was going to be true... he was going to be a professional musician.


	2. *O0°2°0O*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian's part of the story and their first meeting. [edited]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't forget too many mistakes U_U  
> This is hard ya know [updating]

 “Ah~ I can’t anymore,” Younghyun sighed and sat down on the floor to take his breath.

He ignored the condescending looks the other trainees gave him and swallowed down a good half of his water bottle. His teacher scolded often enough for stopping at random moments, but he did not care. Panting, he looked at the others struggling to follow the teacher's moves. He had no reason to work like crazy on those complicated choreographies since his motivation to practice disappeared with his best friend’s debut.

He and Jaebum befriended each other three years ago, in the same practice room. Since then, Jaebum became the only reason Younghyun pushed himself so much during dancing lessons - the only practice he was still doing properly.

For the last three months, their practice schedules were the same and they both innocently thought they would soon debut in the same group. Jaebum debuted, indeed, but Younghyun did not make it to the final line-up.

He came back to the trainee-dungeon right after. He was not truly bothered he did not make it to the last stage, but he missed his friend. It felt weird, lonely almost, though he would never admit it out loud.

The lessons were the same for all the trainees in the agency, leaving a very short space for any individuality. It did not take long to notice the agency did not care much about how hard he was working as they did with many others. He was good looking and he spoke English fluently. That was all they expected from him in the first place, everything else was just an add-on.

Younghyun had never been particularly passionate about the idol life the others seemed to care so much about. He enjoyed listening to music, but it had never been his dream. He had always been like that. He did not have a dream, barely a few wishes. He came down to satisfy everyone, being what people wanted him to be. Knowing the company did not need him to be anything more than a face just convinced him more he did not need to work himself out.

He could not understand how those people could be so willing to sacrifice themselves only to perform in front of a screaming crowd. He had never really wanted to dance or sing, even less to become famous. He had been studying with the idea of becoming a public officer, never more.

Of course, he did not hate singing, but he was more one to hum random songs with his guitar at the end of a long day rather than exhausting his body to entertain a whole bunch of fans. He liked Music enough to dedicate his life to it therefore, if he had to be an idol, so be it. Everything fell onto him, and he accepted it carelessly.

In the company, Younghyun was part of the few privileged persons who got picked without an audition. He had been cast in the streets of Toronto by one woman from the company who called herself talent hunter.

He had been hanging out with his friends when she came to him and she talked way more than she listened to his answers. They did not matter, it seems. She found talent in him, she said. What kind of talent did she find in a grown-up boy in the street, he was not sure, yet she invited him to join the company the week after.

Curious but not really invested, he went to the so-called audition. They asked him to walk and move around for about twenty seconds. One hour later, he had a contract in hand, a ticket for Seoul in the other and the promise to become a star back in his home country.

He was barely eighteen back then. He sometimes still wondered why he did not wait before accepting the offer, but he was grateful to be able to begin a new life in Korea.

Most trainees protested against his luck for having been through a lot of hardship to achieve the same level. Most of them first thought he must have been particularly good to receive such treatment, but Younghyun was fast to change their mind.

Rather tall, well-built, long legs, piercing eyes, full lips and killer smile, he had the look of an idol, they commented on his first day. He was not delusional enough to believe the talent the woman saw in him was anything but his look. Knowing they expected nothing more from him, he did not bother doing more than the strict minimum.

Eventually, nobody ever protested... except for Jaebum.

Jaebum and Younghyun met at the latter’s first dance lesson and he had not been ready for the meeting. Despite being a newcomer, barely landing from Canada, Younghyun had been looking down his nose at all those efforts the others were doing for a career he did not see any appeal to. Jaebum was probably the most diligent between them.

Unlike Younghyun, Jaebum took the whole idol training very seriously. He could dance and sing from early morning to late night every single day without complaining and could not bear to watch anyone take it as easy as Younghyun did. Jaebum was not exactly passionate about being an idol per se, but his dream was to be one of the best singer and dancer in Korea. He was giving his all to reach his goal and if the path to reach it was to become an idol, then he would.

Jaebum auditioned twice before he got selected to be part of the trainees. He was only sixteen at the time and despite being equally good at dancing and singing, they found him a bit too short at the time. He did not grow that much taller, but his eyes were strong enough to make up for it. His gaze was powerful and it was probably how he tamed Younghyun in a second.

Seeing how careless the other was, Jaebum managed to hurt his pride with few words, dismissing his non-existent efforts and offering not-so-kindly to walk him out of the company if he was not going to try harder. He could not remember his exact words, but it pissed him off to the point he decided they would never get along and he wished they would never have to meet again.

Younghyun might have been a bit – a very slight bit – impressed as well, but he would not tell him even on his deathbed.

Years later, Jaebum was always there and Younghyun had been following the dance practices diligently, only to show the annoying sunbae how was wrong he was about his capacities. Younghyun was not naturally skilled, but he worked hard on it, enough to be a fairly good dancer. He hoped it would piss Jaebum to see his improvement.

After one month of full dedication, Younghyun received his first smile from Jaebum, who then started to help him with some steps and show him some tips. He incited him to work harder every day, but never forgot to work even harder himself. It was annoying to witness how many efforts he deployed to accomplish his dream, but nothing made him prouder than Jaebum's compliments.

It was only a few years ago, but they were now close friends. It felt like a decade, long years he spent dancing like a crazy man because of the ~~guilt~~ competition he felt toward Jaebum. He changed his mind with time, understanding more the trainees’ efforts and eventually, the others started to consider his as well.

Now that Jaebum debuted with the company latest boy group GOT7, the whole dynamic changed drastically. Even if Younghyun was happy for him, he felt lonely and he was not sure he would still find the motivation to keep working so much.

 

            The lesson ended for the day and each of them went to their singing training. Younghyun packed his stuff and got ready to leave. Those lessons were individual ones and the very first – the only one – he went to, he had been criticised a lot about the way he placed his voice, how he sounded too foreign for a Korean and how he needed to forget everything he knew, everything he liked, to fit the mould.

He never went again.

Jaebum was not behind him to force him, the teacher did not care, the director did not seem to know and they let him be. He hated being ordered around and he also was not the type to sing those energetic pop dance songs. Too bad, this was exactly what the teacher wanted him to do: forget his guitar and sing fast beat songs. Eventually, he gave up and kept the singing for his drunken nights alone in the dorm. He quickly heard the news spread that he could not sing, but he did not care, he was not one to change his behaviour according to people’s criticism.

While he was already ready to leave and go back home, Younghyun heard someone calling his name, his full name. Sighing, he stopped and turned to see the boss' secretary standing at the entrance door. Everybody passed by her, looking alternatively at Younghyun and her with wondering eyes. The woman might only be an assistant, she was not meddling much with the trainees. Usually, she was there where they auditioned and when they met the director. She was the one to deliver the good and bad news, whether one would be kicked out of the company or picked to make his début.

Younghyun looked at her with a frown. He knew for a fact he could erase the last reason from his list. Jaebum's group – GOT7 as it was named – barely made their début, the agency surely won't make any other boy group so soon. The boss probably found out about him skipping his training. He might have to find a new carrier path after all.

Silently he followed her and they both went toward the director's office. She knocked on the door and made him enter before she left.

“Younghyun-ah, you can sit there,” the man told as if he was talking to his grandson and Younghyun sniffed at his hypocritical behaviour from a man he barely saw three times since he got in.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Younghyun asked politely and sat where he was asked to.

"Yes, I wanted to talk about a few things."

The director looked at Younghyun right in the eyes who wondered if, it was finally the time he would get scolded and thrown out. He was not exactly scared of the idea, but still, without knowing why, he wished it was not the case.

“I heard from your teacher you improved in dance lately.”

As he stopped, the man watched carefully Younghyun's reaction. Not really understanding where he wanted to go, Younghyun only nodded, knowing this for a fact.

“That's good. Far from perfect of course, but it seems good enough to go on stage.”

“Really?” Younghyun gasped, surprised.

Not expecting such remark, Younghyun kept looking at the director with wide eyes. The man's gesture silently told him not to get too excited as if he expected him to jump around or something.

“Really.” He confirmed. “I heard you don't sing.”

Younghyun did not have the time to protest that the man put his right fingers in front of his lips to shush him.

“Which is why I found the perfect match for you,” he said as he took a remote control in his left hand. "I want you to listen to this."

As he barely ended his sentence, he started a melodious song he never heard. The record was not a professional one, for sure, but the piano was soft, really agreeable. This was certainly not an official song, he thought. Then the voice started, sweet and delicate and it caught immediately Younghyun's attention. As the piano and the beautiful voice joined in a perfect match, the voice grew bolder, more powerful and Younghyun's heartbeats accelerated. The singer hit the notes perfectly, spreading his emotion through a simple record and Younghyun shivered. He did not know why, but he got trapped by the strong feeling kept in the song. When it finally ended, it took him a few seconds to come back to earth.

The director switched off the music and looked at the trainee with a slight smirk. Younghyun looked back at him and opened his mouth to say something, but he did not even know what. Finally, he closed it back and glanced at his interlocutor to receive more information.

“Did you like it?” The director asked instead of answering the silent question.

“I... of course, it's a well-controlled and emotional voice, a really good one. I think this is what would be expected from a singer,” Younghyun's professional mind said.

“Good. This voice is yours now.”

“What?!”

If Younghyun had been surprised when he came in, it was nothing comparing to how he felt right now. Blinking he repeated the same word again, hoping for an explanation while the big boss kept looking at him with a sly grin, proud of his little effect.

“This voice is yours,” he repeated.

“I... I heard but... what?”

“You fit well on-screen and you dance well enough to stand on stage. You have the look and charisma to be famous. I don't think you need to be in a group, you can be a good soloist,” the man stopped, letting time for Younghyun to register everything. “Since you don’t sing, you can’t perform by yourself and it would be a waste to not benefit from your talents. It happens that yesterday, I just found you the perfect voice, the one you just heard.”

Younghyun did not reply. He was not sure he truly understood everything. Was the director telling him they were giving him a voice? Someone else's voice? Did that mean he won't sing himself? How was that even possible, he thought. He knew a lot of tricks were used in this world, but he never knew This could happen, even less to him.

“We'll work on your acting skills and you'll spend the next months with him to get accustomed to his voice. You have to learn to think of it as your own. It has to become yours for everyone,” he explained. “You'll meet him tomorrow, you'll both see how much time you need.”

“Him?” Younghyun asked, the first thing coming through his head.

“Yes, the singer of this song. Your new voice from now on,” the man stated like the most logical thing in the world.

“Sorry?” Younghyun exclaimed in disbelief. “You want me to lip-synch his songs?”

“Not lip-synch...” the director scolded the trainee for his blaspheme, “think about it as a duet where he will sing and you'll appear on stage,” he added with a confident smile.

Younghyun was not convinced by the whole ‘project’ but he was not sure he could refuse. A lot of things had been planned as if his opinion did not matter and he found himself the next day waiting for his manager in His changing room.

It happened a bit too fast.

He had now a manager – for him and the man who will be His voice – and also a private room with his name on it. They also told him they would hire musicians to work on his debut track and if everything worked well, he would have a whole styling, make-up and marketing team working on concepts to plan his future look for his future début. The whole project was going too fast and he could not tell it was anything like what he imagined his debut to be. Strangely enough, he was not pissed, it just felt weird.

A knock on the door indicated the arrival of his newly designated manager. The middle-aged man looked sympathetic and seemed to understand the situation Younghyun was in pretty well. They talked for a while and Younghyun noticed the man seemed to know way more about this ‘duet’ than he did.

“I don't get why I am embroiled in this,” he said once the manager was done explaining how the unconventional project was born.

“That's rather simple, he doesn't sing in public, so you will perform for him,” the manager summarized as well as he could. 

“For real? Then why did he apply to an entertainment company in the first place?” Younghyun scoffed.

“I don't know,” the older man admitted. “But you surely noticed his talent and the director thought it would be a waste not to use it.”

“Okay…” Younghyun agreed flatly and clucked his tongue against his palate, “and out of all the trainees, they chose me to act as his double?”

“Indeed,” the other admitted.

“My voice doesn't match his... it won’t stand two seconds. Everybody will notice when I start speaking,” Younghyun criticised and the manager smiled with compassion.

“This is what you will have to work on. You are one of the few fluent English speakers among the trainees and since English is his mother tongue, you were the more fitting for this role.”

Younghyun sighed, letting his forehead fell loudly against the table. “How did I get into this?”

“That's not so bad you know, you won't be the first artist in this kind of situation,” the man said as he patted gently his shoulder.

“Really?” Younghyun asked in shock.

“Really,” the other confirmed, “You haven’t been here long enough, you still have a lot to learn about this world.”

Younghyun wanted to ask for more, but he noticed the latter was trying to escape a further questioning by inviting him to stand up.

“Let's go, he's probably waiting.”

Younghyun gave up and followed through the corridors. When they came near a soundproof room usually used for the vocal practices, Younghyun realised he would finally meet 'his new voice'. He looked at his manager who smiled again at him and then looked back at the door. No, he was not stressed, not at all, he repeated for himself.

“Ready?” The manager asked.

Younghyun made a weird pout and sighed in desperation. The employee smiled again and neared the room.

“You'll see, he’s really good, you won’t regret it,” he repeated before they entered the music room.

“If he’s that good, I don’t get why he doesn't sing by himself,” he muttered, “unless he’s too ugly to stand in front of a crowd or something?” he joked to lighten his own mood.

The door opened and he noticed the lonely figure huddled in a large hoodie. Standing beside the piano, he looked absent-mindedly at the ivory, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. The door slammed behind the two newcomers and the young man jolted at the sound. His whole body was hidden in his oversized clothes and he looked kind of small in it, despite his obvious tall height. He turned around and greeted them politely with a bow and a bright smile. He straightened his clothes and brushed back his messy hair lock to bare his gentle eyes, still half-covered by his round glasses.

 

When their eyes met, Younghyun's heart skipped a bit and he regretted immediately his words.


	3. *O0°3°0O*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [updated]

 

Laid on the covers of his bed, his right arm upon his face to hide his eyes, Younghyun sighed heavily. Today was his last day of freedom before the beginning of his new life. The end of this crazy week he spent because of this crazy project. Today, he finally agreed to the terms of the deal and starting tomorrow, his whole life will take a different turn.

His arm fell soundly on the mattress and Younghyun opened his eyes to gaze at the ceiling. He sighed once more and took a last glance at the paper on his bedside table. The full characters of his name seemed to be shining on the contract, reminding him again he truly agreed to this dangerous arrangement.

Starting from tomorrow, he will spend every single day of the next six months with Jaehyung. Without thinking about the implications, Younghyun agreed. Why did he agree again? He did not remember he did without thinking.

When the director told them to think about the deal for one entire week before giving a definitive answer, Younghyun decided to take his time. It was an important decision, though he was not completely sure he had much room for manoeuvre. He could not talk about it with anyone, so he wanted at least to think about it alone for a while. He waited until the last day before he gave them his decision, but he knew that in fact, he had not thought about it as hard as he should have. He closed his eyes again and remembered those last few days.

Yeah, if he was honest, he knew he had taken his decision since the very first day.

{...}

The door slammed behind the two newcomers walking toward the lanky figure man standing beside the piano. The young man jolted at the unexpected sound and took a few seconds looking at the two men in front of him. A bright smile slowly grew on his face and he greeted them politely with a bow.

“Oh Mister Park, you are there, that’s great,” the oldest man said as he greeted the young man in front of them.

“I was a bit stressed, I came earlier than planned,” Jaehyung explained with a soft smile.

The manager did not pay attention to the obviously uncomfortable man and kept talking. “Good, good. We can begin right away if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

The manager walked toward the table set up for them near the piano and sat on a stool, inviting the two trainees to do the same. Younghyun followed obediently hiding his curiosity and sat at his turn. Jaehyung sat on the remained seat followed by Younghyun's gaze. Catching the latter's eyes, his grin widened.

“I'm sorry, I'm so confused, I'm forgetting my manners,” he held out his arm toward Younghyun and their eyes locked. “Park Jaehyung,” he introduced himself with a subtle English intonation.

“Kang Younghyun,” he answered automatically.

“Nice to meet you.”

Younghyun nodded despite his lack of an answer. He looked again at the man in front of him. He was tall, easily pulling off a casual hip-hop style often found abroad. For a supposedly extremely timid and stressed dude, Jaehyung did not look timid nor stressed. He might be a bit shy, but his voice was still, his face calm and his eyes as bright as his smile. He was talking normally and did not seem particularly bothered or even curious about the situation.

He must also to add the guy was quite good looking... okay, really good looking with his lovely grin and smiling eyes that made him look kind of soft, maybe too much. But even this, Jaehyung seemed to be well aware of it and looked pretty confident about his appearance.

Park Jaehyung, he repeated for himself.

His pronunciation was good, but a lingering accent remained lightly behind the words. He did not need to know much about him to guess he was a gyopo. If the song he heard was of any indication, he was ready to bet his sunny pronunciation came from California. As a native Korean who only spent a few years abroad, he knew he was from reaching this level, no matter how well he could use the language.

His spoken voice was just as soft, probably higher than his own and Younghyun had no doubt it was the one he heard, so deep, suave, so beautiful. This might be based on the very first impression, but he could not see why he was standing there. He had no reason to replace Jaehyung.

It would be truly awkward for him to use the honey voice knowing he paled in comparison.

Was Jaehyung scared of singing in public or did he just have some unknown other reason? For all he knew, he might just dislike following the crazy life idol could have sometimes and accept to sing only for money...

“Younghyun?” A voice called him back on earth.

“Hum?” He lifted his head to meet Jaehyung's eyes focused on him and looked away toward his manager who was calling his attention.

“Did you hear me?”

“Oh, well... not really, I was thinking about... something else,” he explained weirdly. “Sorry, what did you say?”

"I said, the staff thought about this for a long time and we decided to try and look at how it works with you two. We made a contract to fix everything."

“How does that work?” Younghyun asked, lost.

“Your Duet,” the manager answered, insisting on the word. “We have to be sure you can work together before we can make any project. Everything has to match perfectly if we want the public to follow as well. This is how a duet works.”

Younghyun snorted. The whole insistence to call this fraud a duet seemed pretty ridicule. Only one of them will sing and another one would be performing. This was not what one called a duet. If the expression was enough to make those men feel better about the trick they were pulling, then he decided to let them call it how they pleased.

“Yeah, so?”

"First, you will have six months of training together. You have to get used to each other, learn how you act, talk and live. Well basically, you have to get to know each other to be comfortable and avoid any mishap. You are both closes in age so I believe it won’t be too difficult but this is a duet, so you both have efforts to do. Depending on how you work together, we will decide after those six months if we drop the project or make your debut."

The man looked at them, waiting for approval, and they both nodded to tell him they knew this won't be easy for anyone.

“This training is different from the one we provide for the one we provide to the other trainees here, it is specifically planned for your debut. First, Younghyun has to learn your singing technic and the way you pronounce the words. He has to catch your style to make the performance more credible. Which means Jaehyung,” he said looking insistently at the singer, “you have to sing in front of him so he can register each detail of it, from the way you express yourself to your breathing speed.”

Jaehyung tensed at the words and he clenched his slightly trembling fists as anxiety appeared on his face. He glanced toward Younghyun and looked back at his hands. He crossed one arm against his chest, biting his thumb's nail and nodded. His behaviour was awkward, but his fear seemed genuine.

For the first time, Younghyun realised this situation might be real and painful for Jaehyung. His gaze softened and he felt compassion for him.

"You will also have to train your voice, your projection and your pronunciation, but we will see how to do that later on. On the other hand, you," he addressed the slightly younger one, “have to rehearse a lot to sing exactly as he does, pay attention to every little detail, everything matters under the spotlight. This is not conventional, but it takes a lot of efforts. We arranged special acting lessons and you will, of course, keep your usual training.”

Younghyun shrugged. He knew the system well enough to expect that much, but the more details he had, the more impossible it looked. The manager looked back toward Jaehyung as he seemed to mainly talk to him.

"Jaehyung, considering your situation, it might be a bit difficult at first, but remember you’re both in this together. We know it’s a big sacrifice on your side, but Younghyun will have to bear most of the pressure and he will have to work the most to adapt to your voice so it suits him. If everything works, he will reap the rewards of it all, but he will face the backlash as well if it doesn’t.”

Younghyun was not an idiot and he knew what to expect from the beginning, but hearing it directly made his anxiety grow. They might both have to put up with more struggles than they were ready to with this so-called duet.

“Younghyun will have to work a lot on his own, but all the work isn't his. He has to be with you whenever you sing, for a rehearsal like a recording session, so you better learn how to sing in front of him right away or it will never work. You also have to understand that if you agree with the terms of the contract, your voice isn't yours any more. From now on, it will be his."

Jaehyung nodded silently, unable to answer properly and Younghyun replayed the sentence over and over in his head, tasting the soft warmness it created. He did not know if he wanted to borrow someone else’s talent to find his place, like the sweet feeling in his veins, suggested it or if he found it completely stupid the way each word he heard seemed to be.

“Once you agree, your schedules will be organised accordingly by the agency. Remember the agency is the only one who can judge if the results are suitable for its standard. If it is considered good enough, you'll make your début as a solo singer and a new contract will be made. Of course, nobody except the staff will know about the agreement. You can't tell anyone without prior approval and we need the best discretion about this for obvious reasons. Even if someone finds out, you can't confirm anything, let us know and we will handle the matter. None of this should spread or the contract is over with a compensation fee in line with the damage. Understood?”

The manager ended his speech waiting for a reaction he did not get. Both young men looked lost and stuttered something that was supposed to be "yes". He glanced alternatively to each of them and gave them a small smile.

 “Any question?”

“What about the song?” Younghyun asked.

“The song?”

“Yeah, the cover you sent, why did you send it if you didn’t want to sing?”

“Ah, the cover,” Jaehyung said in a tone that weirdly looked like relief. “Well, I did not send it.”

“You didn’t?” Younghyun repeated to get a confirmation.

“I didn’t. We have a group with a few friends and we often cover famous songs when we practice. For some reasons, one of them recorded it and gave it to the company without telling us beforehand.”

“I see. So I guess this is not the song we will be working on?” he asked the manager.

“We received a few original compositions from his friends, so we might start with those since Jaehyung is comfortable with them,” the manager said, “but you can start working together with a song you like first.”

“I don't mind working on original songs. I just thought this cover was beautiful,” Younghyun replied.

“Oh...” Jaehyung looked down, “You heard it,” he whispered.

A smile broke Younghyun's face as he saw the pale skin of his cheeks turn slightly darker. Jaehyung seemed shy with the idea of anybody listening to his voice, yet pleased by the compliment.

If this was enough to make him smile, Younghyun was ready to repeat the compliments every day. Such a beautiful voice was made to be heard by everybody but the beautiful man in front of him deserved to be famous without a puppet to perform for him.

“This is the contract,” the manager told them, pulling two copies in front of them. “We give you one week to think. You’ll have to make your decision by then.”

Younghyun looked at it and sighed. Even if he was pleased by the perspective of working with Jaehyung, he could not quite accept the fact they would lie to the entire world. Jaehyung could do everything by himself, so why was he there? Why did they have to do that? How were they even supposed to make it work?

“Oh my god, this whole thing is so weird,” he sighed, shaking his head.

“Is there something bothering you?” The manager asked calmly, visibly used to deal with young artists and unusual situations.

“Everything. Don't you find it weird? How am I supposed to talk about songs like I am the one singing them when I don't? Even if I managed to lip-synch properly on stage, how can I perform as if it was me singing? How I am supposed to know how to speak and trick the crowd when our voices are so different? No offence, but it’s easy to catch his accent and our tones have nothing in common. This is clearly impossible,” he ended, like his words were enough to show to both of them the projects was not a serious option.

“I understand your concerns Younghyun. We are aware of those difficulties and we considered them, of course. One of the reasons we choose you is because you’re fluent in English and we are working on different options to resolve all of them. This is also why we want to start with six months of training. The main objective for the next months is to make it credible and for that, you’ll have to be exactly on the same wave. This is the first step for this to work. You're not two people sharing responsibilities to perform, you have to be one. Keep this in mind,” the manager reminded him, but Younghyun did not look convinced.

Jaehyung's jaw clenched, not from anger but sadness from hearing Younghyun’s obvious doubts. He looked impervious to the foreshadowed struggles. Was he the only one to think the situation was strange to the point it was probably not even realisable? He just stated facts though. The will to do it did not mean it would become true.

Then, why did Jaehyung's pleading eyes make his convictions weaken? Why did he suddenly felt guilty?

“Don't you think the same?” He asked the singer, wondering why he looked so down.

“I don't. I believe we can make it. I know it won't be easy, but I want to give a try and I'm sure I could not find anyone better than you for this.” Younghyun gulped and sunk into Jaehyung's deep gaze focused on him while he talked. He seemed so convinced by his words that Younghyun felt a shiver run his spine. Jaehyung seemed so more confident about his ability than he was. How could it be possible after such a short time? Almost giving up his resolve, he sighed and stroked his face.

“Whether it will be possible or not, we'll see with time. There will be six months to test the water and if that's really impossible, you can be sure the company is not risking tarnishing its name. For now, the question is: are you willing to give a try?”

“I don't know,” Younghyun answered after a short silence.

“Then, take your time to think. Like I said previously, you have one week to make a decision so take your time.”

They nodded, Younghyun even more lost than he had been as Jaehyung's eyes did not seem to get away from him more than ten seconds.

“You might want to talk together. I will let you think about it, come to find me when you made your decision,” the manager said before he left them both, alone, in the room.

Younghyun looked blankly at the closed door and blinked to get his head straight. Beside him, he saw Jaehyung move to take the pen left on the table to sign his copies of the contract. The younger looked at him like he was some kind of alien.

“What are you doing?”

“Signing,” Jaehyung simply said.

“Don't you want to think a bit more?”

“What for?”

“I don't know... this is an important decision.”

“I know. But I also know my strengths and limits. I'm not willing to let this chance escape. I don’t think I’ll get any other chance to work as a singer.”

“But why?! You know this deal will give _Me_ _Your_ voice,” Younghyun emphasised both words.

“I know,” Jaehyung said again, “but if someone has to have my voice, it better be to someone who likes my voice and who’s kind enough to worry for me after our first meeting. And it’s not like I would refuse to be associated with such a handsome guy,” he somehow joked to lighten the atmosphere.

Younghyun's eyes probed him, maybe a bit too pleased by the oh-so-direct compliment. Jaehyung blinked a few times with a gentle smile, the dreamy one he had when he first saw him. Younghyun could not move one inch, desperately waiting for him to continue.

Jaehyung breathed slowly as if he was gathering his strength to give away a secret he was keeping for himself.

“I always dream I could live all my life singing,” he began. "Work and live without caring about anything but music, having hundreds of people listening to my compositions while they will go to work or school, making them smile with a fun song when they feel down or peaceful with a ballad when they are tired or stressed..."

Younghyun's listened to him with attention. Despite his previous doubts, he expected Jaehyung to tell those kinds of things. It was exactly how he portrayed him after he heard his voice and the emotions it carried.

Somehow, his dedication reminded him of Jaebum, but with something more he could not point out. They both had many things in common and it made him think that maybe, just like he became friend with Jaebum in an unusual way, he would surely grow close to Jaehyung too.

“You know... singing is a way to express our feelings, release our soul for everybody to see, it's made for people to catch the message we give through the song... that's what I wanna do...” Jaehyung lowered his voice dreamily as if the secret was too precious to be told louder.

Younghyun could not really understand the feeling, but he nodded. He never thought about music this deeply. He suddenly felt guilty. He had the chance from the start to do what many others were ready to die for and never tried. He always liked to play the guitar and listen to music, but it always had been a simple hobby, never more. From Jaehyung's mouth, it looked way more beautiful. And maybe... just maybe, he began to believe Jaehyung was right.

“I want people to feel everything I feel when I sing,” Jaehyung said, talking normally again. “That's what I want, but that's also why I can't,” he scoffed at himself. “When I sing in front of someone, I feel like I give away my whole heart and soul and standing in front of them while I do it, it freaks me out...”

Jaehyung looked ashamed about this idealist vision of things, but the realisation hit Younghyun as he heard him expose his fear.

Slowly, he understood how precious singing was for Jaehyung. A bit of himself, more than a simple performance, in his eyes, singing was his life displayed for everybody to see. Precious like a diamond but also the most intimate thing he had in his heart. And Jaehyung was willing to share this precious passion of his with him, share his voice with him...

“I know I would never be able to sing in front of a public,” Jaehyung said with a smile, between sadness and resignation. “That's why if I can sing and let people hear it, it doesn't matter if nobody knows who I am. This is still my dream.”

His voice was firm, his face serious though gentle as he waited for Younghyun to assimilate his words. He wanted him to understand his point of view, to share his thoughts. Once again, he locked his eyes with Younghyun.

“But I need you to realise this dream, Younghyun.”

 

Head against the pillow of his bed with his arms upon his hair, Younghyun scoffed. Yeah, it took him one week to sign but since this very first, he already had agreed to support Jaehyung's dream as long as the man would be willing to share it with him.


	4. *O0°4°0O*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I couldn't post last week, so I'll try to update the next one faster to make up for it.  
> I hope there are not too many mistakes in this chapt...

It was barely 9 AM and Younghyun was already in the agency's building, ready to start his first work session with Park Jaehyung.

It was not their first meeting since they both signed the contract, but he still felt a bit nervous. ‘Get to know each other’, their manager requested and they did. They already met three times in the past week for some friendship-building coffee dates. It was a bit awkward at first, but Jaehyung seemed to be particularly pleased with such a soft beginning.

They grew closer than expected in a very short time, mostly talking about music and life. They found an easy common topic from their respective experiences abroad, Jaehyung about the US and LA where he spent most of his life and Younghyun about his high school days in Canada.

They re-introduced themselves as Jae and Brian, the names they used out of Korea. None of them used their English names in Seoul, but they rolled easily on their tongue in the middle of their mixed English and Korean conversations. Younghyun never thought about it before as a high-schooler, but pronounced by his new friend the foreign name felt more intimate than ever.

Younghyun was thankful for the time they got to get used to each other, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the company. He shared a lot with Jaehyung in a short time. It was a good beginning, enough to make it feel like it was more of a friendly collaboration rather than a well-organised trick. If it had not been enough to transform them into best buddies, Younghyun noticed at least they were on the way to a good kinship. They felt less likes strangers and more like the close co-workers, they were supposed to be. Sometimes, he even dared to think they could truly be friends.

Jaehyung had a lot of unexpected sides, Younghyun noticed. Besides the usual American pop and the well-known Korean songs he has been listening from a young age thanks to his parents’ influence, he appreciated pretty much all types of music. He liked rock, hip-hop and ballads the most and he could listen to his favourite songs albums on a loop. He rarely spent a day without jamming one of them and knew all the lyrics.

Younghyun learnt this is how he started singing, by forcing his best friends to play the songs at the piano and singing along. It was fun to know Jaehyung liked this music enough to cover pretty much all the songs. He talked about it with such enthusiasm it made Younghyun wonder why he was so reluctant to sing when he loved it so much.

His dedication was endearing and Younghyun could not stop his grin at this sweet confession.

Soon enough, Jaehyung convinced him to listen to the whole discography of his favourite artists. He made him swear to listen to the albums and brought him the whole collection at their second encounter.

Despite not being a fan of the genre, Younghyun did listen to it all, just to please Jaehyung. It was not exactly what he usually listened to, but he liked it. It did not match his nerdy look or his boyish features. It was not the style he expected him to be fond of, but from his kind eyes to his teasing smiles, Younghyun already knew the man was full of surprise.

“You play the guitar too?” Younghyun asked surprised somewhere through their fourth meeting when Jaehyung appeared with his guitar case on his back.

“Yeah, I know a bit of piano too, but my guitar is my best friend,” Jaehyung explained.

“I play too, or well, I used to play, I don’t as much lately.”

“I know.”

“You do? Did they tell you? I didn’t think the management knew about it.”

“Well… I saw your fancafé before,” Jaehyung tried to sound casual, but the way he looked away showed his shyness at the confession.

Younghyun gaped, surprised. “My fancafé?”

“I mean… the trainee’s fancafé, but I saw a video where you played before.”

“Wow… that was months ago.”

Younghyun couldn’t believe it. He knew a lot of aspiring trainees followed the trainee’s fancafé, but he never expected to meet someone who would be able to recognise him, let alone remember a video he posted a long time ago.

Wishing to be a singer himself, Jaehyung had been following quite a lot of the main agencies’ new trainees. He knew Younghyun was well known between them for his look and English skills, but also posted a few guitar covers when he first joined. Jaehyung also watched most of his performances with other trainees as a background dancer or for showcases. The recent posts, though, did not show him with his guitar any more.

“You’re not playing any more?” Jaehyung asked.

“Well, sometimes in the dorm. The agency doesn’t have any teacher and they don’t care about music skills for non-singers,” Younghyun shrugged.

“We could play together, then,” Jaehyung offered, glad to find this common hobby with Younghyun.

Younghyun easily agreed, too happy to find a buddy to play with after he had to give up the ones with his best friend he used to have in Canada. He smiled brighter than ever in the past weeks and his eyes met Jaehyung’s.

"Out of all the trainees, I'm happy you're the one they choose."

Younghyun's heart melted at the soft tone he used as he revealed his little secret.

 

 

They met only four times like this and they talked about a lot of things, even though music and the duet was always the main subject. Jaehyung had been surprised to hear Younghyun did not care about being famous or not as well as he did not know any singers he liked in particular. It was unusual since most of the trainee were there to perform and become famous, a good part of them trying to follow the pace of their favourite singer or band. But Younghyun was different. Even if he had been stunned, Jaehyung told him he found it interesting.

What was interesting, Younghyun did not know, but he knew for sure the smile on Jaehyung's lips when he thanked him once more for helping him despite his lack of interest of being a star was clearly a good reward. Each time they met he felt more at ease with Jaehyung and he found himself more willing to spend more time with him, for work if it had to be. In spite of his first reluctance for what he thought would be useless, he was now more convinced than ever to try his best for their 'duet'.

Today, ten minutes before the time he was supposed to meet Jaehyung at the music room, he was already standing in the building. He was never coming so early, but could not help, feeling too curious to wait in his house. He remembered well the beautiful voice he heard on the amateur record and was impatient to hear it for real.

Would it be the same? He was not an expert, but he could tell how beautiful it was, well controlled and emotional. It talked directly to his heart and he was pretty sure it could give him goosebumps have it performed in front of him.

Expectantly, he entered the room and found Jaehyung sat on the piano's bench nervously tickling the ivory. For a short minute, Younghyun looked at him, appreciating his features as the other seemed locked in his own world and did not notice his presence.

Here he found it, this second Jaehyung. The shy one he suspected to be non-existent for a while. It was weird to see Jaehyung like that, stress now visible on his face as he kept his gaze on sheet on the piano.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable to watch silently, almost guiltily the young singer, Younghyun get a grip on himself and cleared his throat to call Jaehyung's attention.

"Oh Brian," Jaehyung jolted when he caught sight of him.

“Hey~” Younghyun greeted.

“You're here early,” Jaehyung added as he looked at the clock to check the time.

“So you are...”

“Yeah.” Jaehyung lowered his head, looking somehow ashamed.

“How are you?” He asked amicably.

"Well... stressed," Jaehyung admitted with an uneasy smile, and everything in his behaviour could only confirm what he just said.

Younghyun smiled to reassure him and nodded. He was not really good at making people feel better. Even if he truly wanted to help Jaehyung as much as he could, he did not have an idea about what he could say.

Hesitantly, Jaehyung smiled back and breathed slowly. Glancing back toward his hand, Younghyun could notice the way he was trying to control his breathing.

“How should we do this?” Younghyun asked after a long moment of silence.

His question caught Jaehyung's attention. He focused back on him, their eyes locked and the singer kept gazing at him until he looked away, uncomfortable. He noticed how different Jaehyung seemed now. He was the same. Beautiful, sweet, with his cute smiling eyes and he, was not moving much, but something in his look gave out the stress he was visibly feeling.

“I don't know,” he answered, his voice trembling a bit.

“Well... then, let's just give a try. Choose a song you’re comfortable with, you start singing and we’ll work on each part separately,” Younghyun said, watching cautiously Jaehyung's reaction.

Jaehyung breathed deeply and put his hand in front of his mouth then nodded slightly.

“I guess I have to start,” he agreed weakly.

“We can wait a little bit, if you prefer,” Younghyun offered.

Jaehyung's smile was not as bright as Younghyun knew it could be, but it was still there. He shook his head and the youngest noticed how Jaehyung seemed to already gather his strength.

“I'll have to do it eventually... I should at least to give a try,” he explained.

He did not seem so convinced by his own words and Younghyun looked at him doubtfully, one eyebrow up. Jaehyung did not move one inch and his face was expressionless. Younghyun guessed it was okay since he did not look as frightened as the manager described him. But a few minutes later, when Jaehyung did not make a move to sing one single note, Younghyun frowned, wondering if he could not maybe sing acapella.

“Do you want background music? He asked, not knowing what else he could do.

"Yes please, Jaehyung exhaled.

Younghyun looked at him for a long moment until he noticed how uncomfortable Jaehyung seemed under his gaze. Few things in Jaehyung's attitude showed how scared he was, but every time he spoke, it was impossible not to see it. Once again, Younghyun wondered why singing seemed to take him so much. He also noticed how much efforts he must have to do to keep this attitude despite his worry.

Younghyun walked toward the Hi-Fi system and put an instrumental of Sunday Morning specially made for their working sessions. He did not put it too low to help Jaehyung, but he did not want to put it to high either, wishing to hear more of his voice. Jaehyung winced at the first notes and clenched his teeth before he took a deep breath. The first notes were as soft as Younghyun remembered them to be, but at the point, he expected to hear Jaehyung's voice, there was nothing more than the piano.

Jaehyung had his mouth half open, but no sound seemed to go out. His hand began to tremble a bit and Younghyun wondered if it was deception or anger he caught glimpse of in his eyes. He wanted to stop the music, but Jaehyung's gesture toward him to let it go on. Until the end of the instrumental, Younghyun could see how he was trying, but when the last bar ended, Jaehyung had not sung yet.

They tried again and again without any success. A bit ashamed by his idea, Jaehyung even hesitantly asked Younghyun to stay behind him, expecting it to be easier if he could not see him. But the result was the same and Jaehyung seemed more frustrated every time.

Younghyun was not really happy either, but he somehow understood. Not that he understood why Jaehyung could not, but he could get this was hard for Jaehyung more than him, so he tried to be comprehensive. Younghyun scolding him was probably the last thing Jaehyung needed right now.

Finally, after a long unsuccessful session, Jaehyung punched the wall beside him. Looking down, he went to stop the music palmed his face. Seeing him so angry against his own self, Younghyun surprised himself wanting to reassure him with a hug.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered as he turned toward Younghyun guiltily.

Younghyun did not say anything. He did not know what to do actually. He knew nothing would help Jaehyung and was afraid anything he said would only make things worst so he just shook his head to show him he was not actually mad with him. He was more surprised than angry actually.

Even if they talked about Jaehyung's fear, now that he experienced this situation, it took a different meaning. He never expected it to be so strong. To tell the truth, he thought that with a bit of effort, a close door and background music, Jaehyung will do it eventually, even just a bit... but no. Jaehyung had not been able to sing at all and it was not for want of trying.

He wanted to tell him something, but he just could not, nothing seemed to suit the situation so he just stayed quiet. However, his lack of word gave Jaehyung the wrong idea and the young looked now sadder. He walked closer to Younghyun and he stroked his hands one against the other.

“You know... it's not against you,” Jaehyung explained with pleading eyes that made Younghyun's body warmer for no reason. “I knew it since the start... I’ve never been able to sing in front of anyone,” he sighed as he bit his lips. “I knew it wouldn't be so easy.”

Jaehyung let slip a sour laugh and Younghyun noticed how bitter he was. He would not say it, but Jaehyung's words reassured him a bit. It was not because of him. Jaehyung was not afraid of him. It was the same with everybody. Even if he knew the fact, it was quite disturbing, there was a difference between knowing and experiencing it yourself. The last sentence repeated in his head. Anyone? Did not he say…

“Wait,” Younghyun called his attention. “You did not tell me your best friend played and recorded the song?”

“Yeah,” Jaehyung nodded, still trying to calm himself down. “I hate to admit it, but he's an excellent musician. He taught me a lot about music.”

His eyes lightened as he talked about his closest friend and he seemed slightly more relaxed. Younghyun frowned a bit and nodded.

“I see,” he said. “But then, did he give you a record to sing with?” He asked. “It sounded like live session...”

Younghyun tilted his head and put his fist under his chin to think about the record again. He did not remember anything that would suggest the record had been done in two times. Jaehyung made a funny yet cute frown.

“It was,” he told and bit his lips while he looked hesitantly at Younghyun who was raising an eyebrow, waiting for him to develop further.

“It was?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “We were practising as usual and he recorded without telling me, he does it sometimes,” Jaehyung explicated.

“So you do sing in front of him,” Younghyun stated.

“I do.”

“Then what's the difference? I won't hurt you, I won't criticise and I'm also alone.”

“I... I,” Jaehyung stuttered. “I'm sorry,” he finally apologized, lowering his head.

“What?”

Younghyun did not know what he was apologizing for, but he knew he did not like much the fact that Jaehyung was not able to sing in front of anyone nonetheless with at least an exception. An exception he did not make for him.

“It took me time to sing in front of Sammy,” Jaehyung said toward Younghyun and somehow, it looked like he was trying to convince him of his good faith. "We’ve known each other even before I came to Korea and played together for years. It was hard and it took some time before I managed to sing with him without any trouble."

Younghyun blinked as he registered the information. Did I hear it right? Younghyun wondered. Years? For a moment, he told himself he might be asking a bit too much to Jaehyung and too quickly. In such a short time, he never felt at ease with anyone, except Jaehyung. He was an egoist, but if he made an exception for him so fast, he somehow expected he would not be the only one to make a step to strengthen their brand new friendship.

“But now you can sing in front of him.”

Nodding again, Jaehyung confirmed, slightly blushing and Younghyun knitted his eyebrows. Jaehyung looked toward his feet and bit his lips again. Younghyun knew now this behaviour quite well, though he could not get exactly the reason.

“Then...” Younghyun began.

Jaehyung's eyes were apologetic again and it stopped Younghyun in his sentence. Waiting for Jaehyung to continue, Younghyun refrained himself from clunking his tongue in annoyance when he did not say anything for some time.

“With Sammy, it's different you know.”

Younghyun's blood pounded in his heart and he felt a hot flush. He could not explain, but he did not like it. Not at all.


	5. *O0°5°0O*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I had a lot to change on this chapter and I struggled to explain Jae's problem properly... I hope it makes sense and with bribri as well.

Slowly, Younghyun was getting used to his brand new trainee life. Of course, he previously had daily training as well, but his new schedule was nothing like the one he had until now. He had more lessons, of course, but above all, it felt different.

Younghyun was following each lesson conscientiously. He had acting lessons every day and was now working with a personal dance coach. It was harder, but Younghyun was not so bothered and even surprised himself being so willing to improve his skills. He would not say it, but he now wanted to be the best, to be someone everybody would praise and could rely on; someone Jaehyung would trust.

From what he heard, Jaehyung was also training on his own, but he did not really know how. He was supposed to receive vocal training, but he never actually came to the office to do the exercises with the teachers. He still spent a good time playing with his friends, but Younghyun could not tell if it was part of his training or not since Jaehyung was mostly avoiding the subject.

Younghyun guessed he was working with his best friend, Sammy, and slowly accepted the fact that he would always be somewhere in the middle. The two friends crossed the ocean and continents together, grew up side by side and he knew he could never fight that. It was a bit hard to admit, but he was convinced he could even up pretty soon.

Between their personal schedules, Jaehyung and Younghyun were spending more and more time together, getting to know each other. They were together at least two or three hours per days, for a meal or a coffee, hidden behind the agency's walls or outside like the two friends they became. Like everybody there expected them to, they grew closer, more at ease with each other. It could have been weird but had been unexpectedly easy to learn more about the small habits and preferences they each had.

If the first step was easy to climb, the second one turned out much more difficult. They were also meeting a few times per week to get along musically, but Younghyun felt like they were not going anywhere with this method.

He was doing his best to help Jaehyung, leaving his cold self behind and forgetting his carefreeness, he was more dedicated than ever. He received praises he never dreamed of from the company. He really tried everything he could think of to make things easy for Jaehyung: stay behind, never standing in front of him or looking at him too intensely, stop his complains about the waste time before he had time to tell them out loud or trying to sound as supportive as possible.

Though Jaehyung did not sing a single note with Younghyun around, not even once and he started to doubt the older man could perform at all. He tried to keep going with the hope that time will make it easier, but each unsuccessful day made it more difficult to believe.

As days went by, Younghyun felt slightly offended, even if he applied himself to hide it. He convinced himself being patient was the best option and soon, Jaehyung would eventually trust him enough to sing in front of him, but his patience was turning thinner and after few weeks, he felt his frustration grow along Jaehyung's.

“Are you rumbling once again?” someone surprised him one day in the middle of a session they had to call off early when Jae called for a very needed break with the first hints of a panic strike.  
“Jaebum-ah!”  
“It’s sunbae for you, trainee-nim,” Jaebum joked as he caught his friend in a hug.

He looked exactly like the trainee he last saw two months ago yet with such a different aura. Younghyun wondered if it was what an idol was like. Lately, he started to understand more the choices his best friend made for his career and he could not be happier for the success he finally got.

“Are you alone? I heard you were working on a project with a new trainee.”  
“Ah yeah, well…” he hesitated, not very sure about what he was allowed to say to his friend. “He went out,” Younghyun almost pouted.  
“So it’s true they managed to find someone to keep you under control? Rumour says you even follow your schedules now?”  
“They just made it a bit more interesting than it used to,” Younghyun shrugged.  
“Brian?” he heard from the door where Jaehyung was stranding somehow hesitant. “Do you interrupt?”  
“No, it’s fine. Jaebum, this is Jaehyung; Jae, you might have heard about GOT7’s Jaebum,” Younghyun introduced.

Both men bowed at each other and Jaehyung nodded.

“Yes, of course, GOT7 made a really hot debut. You are really skilled Jaebum-sshi.”  
“He’s younger than you, you don’t need to be formal with him, he doesn’t deserve that much respect.”

Jaebum hit his arm playfully and sighed.

“Apparently it still needs some work but congrats for taming this one, it’s not an easy task,” he told Jaehyung.  
“Taming? Did I?” Jaehyung laughed along Jaebum and Younghyun could not find the heart to be offended. He still growled beside them, out of principle.  
“Getting Younghyun to be nice and patient is pretty much like taming a beast,” Jaebum commented.  
“Well, it didn’t seem that hard,” Jaehyung replied and they fell silent for a short while.  
“Trust yourself. Might seem like nothing, but it took me a while to get there, you’re more skilled than I am, obviously.”

Jaehyung smiled Younghyun was glad they went along well. He was grateful for Jaebum's support as it seemed to reassure the singer who was slowly losing faith in their 'duet'. Jaebum had always been the best person to cheer a team on when nobody was having faith anymore.

“You look busy and I have an appointment soon, we can talk later Younghyun. I was just here to say hi, anyway,”

When Jaebum left, they found themselves all alone in the silent room. Jaehyung seemed lost in his thoughts and Younghyun simply waited for him the way he did so often the past few weeks.

“Maybe... I should call Sungjin,” Jaehyung said when Jaebum had left them alone in the music room.  
“Sungjin? Who is that? What for?” Younghyun asked surprised.

He tried to sound not too rude, but it was not exactly a success. Thoughtful, Jaehyung did not take offence and glanced at his phone.

“Sungjin is a close friend. With Dowoon, we play together all the time and I have been singing with him for years too. I don't mind his presence, so maybe...” He did not look so sure, but his eyes were full of hope, “maybe he could help.”  
“So your other friend is not the only one you can sing with?” Younghyun asked, feeling a bit betrayed.  
“Sammy? Well, this is different. Sammy is my best friend,” He said matter-of-factly.  
“Sungjin is the first one I felt connected with when we’re playing. He’s a really good singer and he works as a vocal coach. The company allowed him to coach me now, so I think it’s worth a try.”

Younghyun tried to swallow the bitter taste he felt on his tongue. He did not know this Sungjin yet, but he already was not fond of him. Why did Jaehyung think he needed him around to be able to sing in front of Younghyun? Was not that ridiculous? It should be easier to sing in front of him alone rather two persons together, wouldn’t it? Even if the second one was his close friend, was not Younghyun supposed to be his friend too? Were they not becoming closer? So why did he have now to bring another person to bother their short time alone? Younghyun asked for himself, knowing he could not tell all this to Jaehyung.

Despite the full of thoughts rushing to his head, he stayed quiet and received a wondering yet hopeful gaze from Jaehyung.

“Does it bother you?” he winced slightly afraid.

Younghyun got lost in Jaehyung's eyes and the hope overcame him. Before he knew it, he was shaking his head with a smile and it looked like the words slipped out of his mouth before he had time to think about them.

“If it can help.”

A bright smile broke on Jaehyung's lips and Younghyun's widened immediately. He knew he was growing fond of this lovely smile more and more, but he better not to think about it too much. For now, he wanted to hear Jaehyung sing for him... he wanted Jaehyung to trust him so they could start this path together.  
“Let’s call it a day, then,” Jaehyung said and they packed their stuff to go back home.

The day after, when Younghyun entered the music room, said Sungjin was there.

They never met before, but when he saw him, he had no doubts the man standing beside the piano was Sungjin. He was not really tall, not that short either, but still shorter than him, with well-styled hair, strong nose and full lips. He truly handsome in an unusual way, not too bothered about fashion and had an unmoving soft expression on his face whenever he talked with Jaehyung.

Younghyun did not know if he liked him or not.

Sungjin was the first one to spot him and he immediately offered Younghyun an eye-blinding smile. Jaehyung turned and greeted him, already less comfortable than he had been before Younghyun's arrival. The singer introduced them and Younghyun bowed politely. He was never too friendly with people he did not know. Jaehyung had been the only exception; Because of his voice, he concluded later.

With no formalities, they quickly began to work. Or at least they tried to. With Sungjin, the result was not really better than it had been before. It seemed to bother Jaehyung a lot who had been convinced it would change the situation to have his friend by his side. After many tries, Jaehyung took a moment alone to think and cool down. Sungjin who had been glued next to his friend left him for the first time and went to Younghyun.

“It has nothing to do with you,” Sungjin stated as he saw Younghyun's pensive face. “But you have to be patient...”

Younghyun sighed, overacting his annoyance. He had been testing his patience a lot already and he did not really want to hear Sungjin lecture him about this.

“He needs … confidence?” The composer continued, wanting to reassure Younghyun and help Jaehyung as much as possible. “Not really self-confidence, but let’s say he needs to trust the ones he is with. Jaehyung doesn't sing like most of the people do. It is more than a performance and a hobby for him.”

Raising an eyebrow, Younghyun looked at Sungjin, sceptical. What does that even mean, 'more than just singing'? How could this be possible? Jaehyung's voice was beautiful, right, but this did not make sense at all. Catching Younghyun's inner questioning, Sungjin smiled and followed his thought.

“If the song is sad, he will cry along and make everybody feel it as well. If it's a happy one, he will make you feel better just after a few seconds..." He explained, and Younghyun kind of got the idea. He felt the sadness coming from Jaehyung's voice the first time he heard it too. “Jaehyung lives his songs and pours his heart into them; that's why he can't open up and show this side of him so easily. It makes him feel defenceless.”

Younghyun nodded. He heard that already, but he could not entirely get the meaning. Sungjin glanced at Jaehyung who was scolding himself next to the piano and his eyes softened as he smiled.

“The first time he really sang for me, it was some cliché song about heartbreak and he didn’t experience any at that time. Though when it ended, he was crying as if the story had been his,” Sungjin remembered as he talked, “That's hard to understand without seeing it... but he's like that.” He ended, unsure if it was the best to reassure the man in front of him.

Sungjin looked at the Younghyun and waited for a reaction, but his face stayed still. Sungjin noticed it was the younger man's way to show despite the explication he was not pleased at all. He understood the bitterness; he felt it too, at first, when Jaehyung was too scared to sing with him or to show the lyrics he spent hours working on. The feeling was probably not comparable with Younghyun's, tough. He knew the pressure Jaehyung put on himself was only making things worst. If it bothered him then, what could it be for Younghyun, who was building his career on this, he thought. He could see how ready Jaehyung was to do everything he could to make it, to please Younghyun and he easily guessed it could mean much more than he imagined for both of them.

“Be patient, Younghyun,” Sungjin repeated, more confident, “He will allow you to get closer, eventually.” Younghyun scoffed, not convinced as he almost lost hope.

Again, Sungjin went to talk with Jaehyung and replayed the music on his way. From his behaviour, Younghyun understood he was trying to reassure his friend and keep their conversation private. He hated it even more. He was still in the room, why were they acting like he was not even there? Why did it feel like he was in the way?

Younghyun’s foot kept the rhythm of the song by habit, but he looked more tense than usual while doing so. Sungjin looked different around Jaehyung, more caring and reassuring. Though; the contrary was also true, the Jaehyung he could see now was different from the one he grew used to in the last weeks. He could clearly notice the change. He was more at ease, more peaceful, maybe even sweeter, even if the stress seemed to hold back part of his natural habits.

Still, a bit defeated, Jaehyung lowered his head but took a breath to find the courage he gathered thanks to his best friend’s words. Sungjin patted his back gently, the touch was simple but homey and comforting. They shared a smile and Jaehyung nodded. He suddenly seemed revitalized as he gathered his energy.

Younghyun's jaw clenched and he looked away, uncomfortable in the middle of the intimate scene. Too busy watching his hands; he did not see Sungjin walking back toward him expectantly. His face was bothered and kind of shy, it did not suit the man much.

“I'm sorry about this, don't take it personally, okay?” He winced.

Younghyun frowned but shook his head, inviting him to develop his thoughts.

“I don't want to offend you or anything but... could you please leave us a moment alone?” He said and stopped to check Younghyun, hoping he would not be offended by the request. “I'd like to talk to him. He'll listen more if we're alone.”

Younghyun gaze darkened a bit, feelings mixed between irritation and miff. Smiling hesitantly, Sungjin screwed up his eyes as he explained his idea a bit more.

“I think he needs a bit of rest. Fifteen minutes should be enough.” he justified, though he was not really sure why he felt the need to. “You can go by a drink or something.” he offered.

His jaw clenched again but Younghyun obeyed and walked out of the room with no ceremony. He did not like the request but he disliked the weird feeling he had sharing the room with both friends.

Despite Sungjin's request, Younghyun stayed there walking around in the corridor.

“Okay, we're the only ones here,” he heard Sungjin say softly.  
“I know he's around...” Jaehyung began hesitantly. “I'm afraid he... my voice doesn't want to go out,” he said slightly trembling again.

Behind the door, Younghyun got pissed, more than he already was. He felt anger rush through his veins and his fist clenched. He did not know why, but he hated it. Was he the only one Jaehyung could not sing with? Was he the problem the whole time? He started to distinguish the dark feeling growing inside him but preferred not to think about it. Jealousy... the meaning was too deep for now.

“Hey, I'm here Jaehyung.” Sungjin cheered him sweetly. “I don't ask for anything, you don’t have to sing if you don’t feel like it. Just take a breath and calm down.”  
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Jaehyung whispered in English and Younghyun thought he was the one the older man should be sorry for. “I want to, I really do... but when he looks at me, I just can't," Jaehyung explained, sadness in his voice.

The words hurt Younghyun more than he wished it to. Despite Sungjin's explanation, Jaehyung just confirmed Younghyun was also part of the problem. Him, just him.

“Which one are you singing?” Sungjin switched the subject, visibly to lessen Jaehyung's guilt.  
“Sunday Morning” Jaehyung answered. “Well, that's more what I'm supposed to sing.”

Younghyun could imagine Jaehyung sulking, but this time, it did not make him smile. He only felt more hurt. Jaehyung was pushing himself, but he had a mental block because of him. This was not really good news. It only meant they might never live up to the agency’s expectations and Younghyun would never be the one to help him realise his dream. Maybe they would have to stop their 'duet'. He might have to stop his work with Jaehyung. Then, they will have nothing left between them, he realised.

“It might not be the right song for now. Let’s try something else.”

After a moment, he heard a few notes and he recognized easily the sound of an acoustic guitar. Instead of the putting the Hi-Fi once again, Sungjin was playing. He really was a skilled professional, being a guitarist himself, Younghyun could tell.

He recognised easily the dynamic cords of[ Maroon 5 this love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57bxixffksw) with the necessary amount of emotion the song required. When no sound followed the guitar, he played the beginning a second time without stopping. Then, naturally, Jaehyung's voice joined, singing easily the song he clearly knew by heart. 

Jaehyung's voice was soft and soothing; more beautiful than Younghyun remembered it to be. He was singing with no restriction, voice flying easily through the hard high notesAfter almost one month of working together, Jaehyung had not been singing a single note and then, in a minute with Sungjin, he was now singing his heart out. Younghyun felt like shouting at him, yet he did not want it to stop.

Finally, he opened the door without knowing it, trying to catch of glimpse of Jaehyung singing. Hoping he could hear better, see him singing for the first time.

When the door opened, both Jaehyung and Sungjin jolted a bit, not expecting Younghyun's return, both lost in the music. With a gasp, Jaehyung stopped as he unwillingly held his breath. He looked at Younghyun in shock and his eyes seemed almost afraid.

“Why don’t you keep going?” he asked unhappily.

When Jaehyung didn’t reply, he felt his blood rush and his sharp tongue override his mind.

“You can’t sing with me or you don’t want to? You were doing just fine right now.”  
“I… you…”  
“You can’t because I am here? Then, why do we even bother to spend time together? Isn’t it just a waste of your time to see me? Obviously, this is not going to work since you can’t trust me enough for that. Just forget this plan. You might want to stop this whole duet and just keep singing in your shower and with your friends. I think I deserve better than that,” he snapped, letting go of his frustration.

He barely had time to end his sentence to feel guilty and regretted his words as soon as they went out of his mouth. The expression on Jaehyung's face broke his heart more than his resentment had. Shocked and pained Jaehyung glared at Younghyun. He looked like he would cry any time but the tears never broke out.

“You...!” he began between anger and sadness. “How can…” he paused, lost at words. “For a moment, I thought you could understand. I even…” his voice broke and he made a pause. “I must be really stupid.”  
“Just telling the truth,” Younghyun said in a slower voice, thinking about this privilege everybody seemed to have but him. Jaehyung misunderstood the meaning of his answer.  
“Who are you to criticize anyway? So what if I can only sing with Sungjin? Do you think I am glad to be like that when I dreamt of being on stage since I first stood on my legs? Do you think I do this on purpose?” Jaehyung accused.

Younghyun blinked as if he had received an electric shock. He never expected his remark to be really true and he didn’t mean to hurt Jaehyung so badly. Sungjin’s words suddenly took all their sense: Jaehyung felt everything deeply, with his whole heart and it was so easy to break it. He now got how his accusation might have sound for the singer who was already struggling with his own abilities. If it was possible, he felt even more sorry and guilty.

“I’m not as good as you expect me to be, I know that. I always did, but I am trying because I want you to be happy. I want you to get the recognition you deserve and I have a dream to achieve too. I thought you deserve that much and I really tried… I should have known...” he sighed painfully.

He lowered his head and bit his lips. Sungjin was looking at both of them and if he seemed unhappy with Younghyun's words, he also seemed to understand what he had meant more that Jaehyung had. Softly, he patted Jaehyung's back to calm his anger and it seemed to appease him a bit.

“I don't care if you hate the way I am or if you can’t f*cking understand. If you want to call off the contract, then do it yourself and I will forget I ever had anything to do with you.”

Shocked, Younghyun did not say anything. He did not understand. How could Jaehyung talk to him this way and not being able to sing? How could he tell him all those things with such aplomb? The young man really was not like everybody.

Younghyun opened his mouth and then closed it back; afraid he would only make things worse. He did not want to sound so offensive. He just wanted to show how unjust Jaehyung was, even if it was not fully his fault. He wanted to tell how unfair it was that Sungjin could hear him without doing anything when he wanted it so much and all his efforts were helpless.

“I did not... I really did not think you were like this,” Jaehyung said, a mix of deception, anger and sadness in his voice.

By his sides, Sungjin incited him to say something, guessing he would not hurt Jaehyung more than he did. The man seemed to understand his situation more than he expected. Reacting as fast as he could as Jaehyung's words registered in his head he tried to explain himself, praying that the latter could forgive him.

“I'm sorry... I did not mean to say that... I shit,” he cursed. "Listen, I tend to tell things I regret later when I'm getting pissed and right now you… well, I'm sorry." He apologized, hoping Jaehyung could see his sincerity.

Jaehyung's eyes stay dark and fierce; too hurt to let it go so easily. Jaehyung tried to swallow the lump in his throat without success.

“We better stop here for now,” Jaehyung said coldly.

He looked at Sungjin and made a sign for him to hurry. Not even turning his head toward the shocked Younghyun in the middle of the room, Jaehyung left, quickly followed by his friend. As he kept his eyes on the silhouette disappearing through the door, Younghyun smacked his own forehead and a sigh of desperation slipped out of his mouth.


	6. *O0°6°0O*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry, it took quite a long time since I couldn't post while I was in Korea.  
> I know it's slow, but we're getting there

After the fight they had, things became awkward between Younghyun and Jaehyung. The intimacy that had been growing seemed to disappear quicker than it had started. There he thought it had been fast. Cursing himself more than he ever did to anyone, Younghyun wanted to apologise. It took an entire week for Jaehyung to let him get close; an entire week, Jaehyung did his best to avoid the other. It was one of the longest training weeks Younghyun experienced. He did not think it would, but his sudden absence was disturbing when he got used to having him by his side daily. It was, even more, bothering knowing Jaehyung was purposely staying away and arranged his schedule to do so.

After this first horrible week, Jaehyung did not seem as pissed and Younghyun disappointedly caught glimpse of Sungjin's influence from the way he rolled his eyes when he was looking at his phone. If Jaehyung did not glare at him and was not as evidently walking away from him, he still looked awfully distant. Whenever they met, his face stayed still and his eyes inexpressive. He did not seem to notice Younghyun's presence most of the time. If it was not for the fear Jaehyung still showed about the rehearsal, Younghyun would have thought he did not even know he was there.

It was painful; more than Younghyun thought it would. He felt rejected and Jaehyung was dismissing each step he was trying to make toward him. He could not really blame him, it was his fault after all. 

Countless times, Younghyun tried to show his remorse. As the other remained silent, Younghyun kept his mouth close too. He was also afraid he would regret the words that could escape if he did not.

Instead, he tried to show his intentions, prove to Jaehyung how sorry he was. He was trying to get what the man wanted before he could do a single step to get it. It was only little things, but there he was rushing to get him coffee during the breaks, water when his throat seemed dry, offering food or sweets on different occasion. To tell the truth, he felt silly, but he did not know what else he could do. He was silently waiting, but for him, it was a big step toward Jaehyung. He had never really been patient and he did not remember being so considerate for anyone.

His career, his future depended on that, his most rational side reminded him. Yet, he was trying sincerely with the hope that Jaehyung will eventually let them start anew.

 

After ten days of the cold war Jaehyung set up, Younghyun understood one new reason for their fight. Unfairness had always been one of his weaknesses and he could not put up with it exposed right in front of his eyes. He could not accept it, but he would have to bear it for now.

The day before, Younghyun decided it was time to talk with Jaehyung. If he wanted to show his sincerity, he also knew nothing would be solved without talking properly. As he remembered the CD's Jaehyung lend him before and that he never gave him back, Younghyun thought it would be a good opportunity to start a normal talk.

When he arrived in the music room, Sungjin sat there. Younghyun made a face and refrained to say any comment. Jaehyung's grudge seemed to fade slowly, he better do his best to be irreproachable if he wanted it to disappear entirely.

CD clenched in his hand, Younghyun glanced at Sungjin who slightly smirked and greeted them gently, keeping inside his anxiety of being ignored again. He walked toward the singer, his back facing him, trying to look as normal as possible.

This was so not him, he thought. He was usually the one slightly cold, a bit evil, quite annoying – said Jaebum – and confident. How did he end up being such a freak?! He cursed himself. Forcing a smile when Jaehyung turned toward him and he stretched out his arm, showing the CD in front of the older man’s surprised face.

“I brought back your CD's... I thought you might want it back,” Younghyun tried to say with confidence but failed. “I made a copy already,” he explained with what he felt like a weird smile.

“Oh... thank you,” Jaehyung answered hesitantly, feeling the awkwardness of the situation.

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment until the uneasiness was too strong to bear. Jaehyung took the CD he knew so well and looked blankly at the cover as if it was the first time he saw it. He could see why Younghyun was acting this way, yet he did not know what to do. He had been hurt, deeply and the traces of this pain remained in his heart. It stayed even longer than he thought, probably because of the trust he had been so quickly giving to Younghyun. More than the words themselves, it was the fact that the one he considered as his new close friend had broken the confidence he barely started to give him.

Jaehyung felt stupid for trusting him so quickly to end up insulted, but he also noticed how guilty Younghyun looked after a few days. With Sungjin's who kept telling him Younghyun did not mean to truly offend or hurt him, Jaehyung began to doubt. The blow was still fresh, but the strong desire he had to trust Younghyun once more and forgive him shook him.

He knew Sungjin had seen those doubts and his best friend insisted to come with him once again to prove he was right. Jaehyung did not know what to do, did not know what to think, or what to feel. Thought, he knew how his heart was convinced of Younghyun's sincerity more than his brain was.

Five minutes of silence later, Jaehyung's thoughts and Younghyun's hopeful gaze were disturbed by a deep sigh behind them. Both startled, they tried their best to look away from each other until Jaehyung walked away with a weird thank you and decided to focus his whole attention on the partition he knew by heart.

Sighing again, Sungjin, because it could only be him, stepped next to Younghyun and put a friendly hand on his shoulder. Not expecting it, Younghyun looked at him like an alien. They did not know each other well, and were far to be friends, then why was Sungjin always acting so carefree with him?

“I shouldn't tell you that and Jaehyung will probably kill me for interfering,” Sungjin said. “But you both are real idiots.”

With a frown, Younghyun turned again to look directly at Sungjin's eyes and the latter smiled. Careful with his reaction, Younghyun decided to keep his mouth closed and simply pushed Sungjin's hand away. He kept his attention focused on Jaehyung who surprisingly looked a bit stressed.

“You’ve been pretty stupid actually, but I believe you did not mean to hurt him. He is just very sensitive on this topic,” Sungjin continued as if nothing happened.

Stunned by the sentence he never expected to hear from Sungjin, Younghyun observed him, only to see concern and gentleness in his eyes. Maybe I did judge him wrong, he told himself.

“Why?” Younghyun dared to ask, wondering how a man he did not like much could trust him so easily when the one he wanted to convince the most did not want to.

“I think you got caught by your frustration,” Sungjin told him simply as if he could fully understand Younghyun's situation. “Jaehyung doesn't understand how frustrating it can be to know how beautiful his voice and never be able to hear it, because he doesn't have enough confidence to let us hear,” he chuckled a bit, yet with a sympathetic look. “But I do.”

Younghyun wanted to scoff; he did not like how Sungjin seemed to read him, to tell things as if he knew everything. He also did not like how he showed off his closeness with Jaehyung. Maybe Sungjin experienced this before, but now, Jaehyung singing freely in front of him. Therefore, he did not know what he felt at all. He did not know what it was to wait day after day the moment Jaehyung would trust him while this moment never seemed to come. He could not know because he had the chance to have Jaehyung singing by his side. Younghyun felt a pinch of anger rising and closed his eyes to quickly get a grip on himself.

His heartbeats fastened at the realisation of what was happening to him. Maybe... maybe he did know why, but it was not possible, was it? Suddenly, his stomach seemed to be shaking, wrapped in a sweet mess. Shocked by his track of thought, Younghyun looked at Sungjin but his eyes did not seem able to focus. Sungjin's look was soft and understanding when he smiled at him. Younghyun did not like the almighty feeling Sungjin gave away as he seemed to understand more things than he did himself.

Feeling his whole body heat up, Younghyun decided to go out. He walked through the corridor and stopped near a small fountain to drink. Then, he stayed a long moment walking around the agency without really knowing why. He thought about the same things again and again, until he felt his mind lighter than it had been.

When he decided to come back, he felt something different from when he left. As he walked closer to the room, he heard muffled sounds with the simple accompaniment of an acoustic guitar. He did not know this one, but he did not know many ballads besides the few ones he was working on with the teachers anyway.

Heading toward the sound, he was convinced it came from the room he left sooner. It was surprising since he and Jaehyung only had pop-rock songs for their 'duet'. This was clearly not part of the list they received.

Intrigued, Younghyun raised an eyebrow. Was it really Jaehyung inside? He did not hear him so many times, but he knew Jaehyung's type of music and he never talked about such songs. So why was a ballad coming from their music room? Did Jaehyung already leave the room for someone else?

Feeling more and more curious, he slowly opened the door. The soft rhythm invaded him and he could feel the music tickling his fingers to run toward his stomach. Immediately, Younghyun looked at the sitting figure in the corner of the small room who did not notice his presence.

Thrilled, Younghyun could only stare. Jaehyung was there, playing with his whole soul, eyes closed with messy locks falling in front of his eyelids and head moving in rhythm as if it was his whole life. He was even better than he knew him to be, delicate yet sensual in a way. He could not look away, afraid to lose a single bit of the performance. He never thought Jaehyung could look so enthralling. As if his voice was not beautiful enough to catch attention, he had to have those smooth moves and powerful moves.

When Jaehyung opened his eyes and slightly turned his head to look at him. Younghyun felt a pang of sadness, thinking Jaehyung would stop as he noticed his presence, but he did not. Without his glasses on, he wondered if Jaehyung recognized him, but he could not care less if it meant he could keep watching.

When the last notes faded, Jaehyung shook his hair and pushed his guitar aside. He picked his glasses and looked at Younghyun who did not move from his spot near the door.

“Wow...” Younghyun said, calling Jaehyung's attention on him, “who is this song from?.”

“From me. That’s a song I wrote a long time ago.”

“I didn’t know you were that good.”

Surprise but also pleased, Jaehyung did not answer, scanning him with his eyes, wondering if he could accept the compliment. Their gazes met and Younghyun concluded it was the moment he had been waiting for.

“I'm sorry, Jaehyung” he apologized as he kept his look on Jaehyung. “I'm sorry and I did not mean to... hurt you. I did not... You know, I'm not... not at all... and that's not even what I meant... I did not know you... well...that you...” he tried his best to explain but stopped as he noticed how awkward his explanation became.

Jaehyung faked a smiled and looked away. “It's okay, I'm used to this already...” he said, but his voice did not seem since sincere.

"No, it's not!" Younghyun exclaimed. I'm really sorry, more than I ever been. I wish I could go back and stop myself but I can't, so please, forgive me,” he pleaded, “and I promise I won't ever hurt you.”

“It's okay,” Jaehyung stopped him. “I'm sorry I shouldn't have been like that. I understand, it is hard for people to get used to this,” he winced.

“I don't mind per,” Younghyun said, looking straight into his eyes. “I just… don’t know how to deal with my mood swings sometimes.” Younghyun made a pause and breathed. He knew he had to tell Jaehyung, he had to explain everything if he wanted them to start again with a clean slate.

“I got kind of offended to see you sing for Sungjin and then stopped when I came in...” he confessed. "I was hurt and probably a bit jealous... and my mouth is faster than my head sometimes, I did not mean what I said. So yeah, I'm sorry about that. I'll be careful from now on" he told sheepishly.

Not believing what he heard, Jaehyung only listened silently. Touched by his sincerity, his grudge seemed to fade, as if he had only waited for those words to come before it disappeared completely.

“I'm not mad any more, Brian. It's okay.” Jaehyung said softly to stop his overwhelming apology.

“No, I don't think you understand,” Younghyun insisted as he walked closer to Jaehyung. “I’m really sorry and I've probably never been as sincerely sorry as I am right now. I really want you to trust me again. Not only forgive me and go on, but I also want you to trust and I'll do everything I can to be worthy of your trust. I want you to think of me as a friend, not only a co-worker.”

Talking fast, uneasy, Younghyun never felt so stupid while talking with someone. With anxiety, he waited for Jaehyung's reaction, hoping from the bottom of his heart Jaehyung could feel his sincerity. Visibly, Jaehyung did because a real smile appeared on his lips. Not as bright as he used to before the incident, one more timid, discreet, but still a real smile.

Behind the smile, Younghyun could feel the consequences of his acts, the doubts he tried to hide, but it only convinced Younghyun to work harder to win Jaehyung's full confidence. It would need time, but now he knew they could build again the path they had before. Younghyun was sure of it.

“You know...” Younghyun started again, softly his voice low, as if he was telling a secret. “You're a really good musician too... Actually, if you could perform, you'd be one of the best singer, out there... way better than I'd ever be."

Expectantly, Jaehyung looked at him as he bit his lip. He wanted to protest, he had always liked Younghyun's charisma, the classy way he was mowing, his nice style, his cool dance, his handsome face and perfect body. How could he say such things?

“I should have... I will wait for you, I promise I will. But I just can't understand and it frustrates me so much...” he admitted again.

Jaehyung felt his cheeks heat up, but he could not look away from Younghyun. Though those words made him confused and he raised an eyebrow, silently asking for more information.

“I mean, your voice is wonderful,” Younghyun affirmed with all his conviction. “You're nice, gentle, caring and beautiful and now I see you're also amazing when you play and compose...” He kept up with determination, taming his crazy heartbeats as he could. “If like you say you're not afraid of me... then what are you afraid of?”

Eyes wide and mouth open, Jaehyung felt his breath stop, unable to answer the question. Did he hear it properly? Younghyun said he liked his voice, he liked his songs... he… did he say beautiful? Do I look like a girl, he blushed more as the words repeated again and again in his head.

With a fond smile, Younghyun let his question be unanswered and decided to give away his whole thoughts for Jaehyung.

"I really hope one day, you'll trust me enough to be able to sing freely in front of me, for me," he said with honesty.

Jaehyung smiled a bit and lowered his head. Yeah, he also hoped he would... no, I knew he would. It was just a matter of time.


	7. *O0°7°0O*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay >//<  
> It had been almost done for a while then I went to day6‘s concert and I unexpectedly got blocked  
> Also can you guys believe I’ve been working on the wrong chapter all along? How dumb can I be??????  
> Well good news is the chapter8 is pretty much done ^^’’

If the fight they experienced seemed left behind, Younghyun was still convinced their relationship was not as normal as it should be. Not that Jaehyung was still avoiding him, because he did not, nor did he seemed cold or doing grudgingly their rehearsal... not at all, more like the contrary, but something was different.

Jaehyung had the same enthusiasm as the one he sported when they first met, he slowly began to talk again to Younghyun the way he used to. During their working session, he was truly pushing himself to be able to go on. He even had asked help from a vocal trainer. He never actually sang with him, but the man gave him different tips, like how to breath normally when he began to feel stress rising and how to steady your heartbeats on stage when you felt it pounding out of your chest.

Until now, the advice did not seem to be really effective, but at least, it gave Jaehyung more determination, and it was pleasant to see. If the problems were not so big any more, Younghyun still felt like a thing was missing. Though, he could not point out what.

If Jaehyung was still unable to sing, Younghyun, on the other hand, was quite convinced he fulfilled his commitment perfectly. He had followed all the orders he received from the management and went to all the classes they asked him to. But above all, he had memorized each detail of Jaehyung and his behaviour, like they wanted him to.

His smile, his eyes, his half-closed eyelids when he was laughing, his high pitched voice when he was whining or the sweet deeper one when he was explaining something, his oblivious attitude when he was focused on a task and the genuine gentleness in his face when he was meeting someone... yeah he knew all of this pretty well by now.

Even though he was not really sure to understand their goal when they asked him to do it, it was not as difficult as he thought it would at first. Actually, it had even been a bit too easy, Younghyun told himself with a slight embarrassment. 

The slight warm pinch he felt when he was with Jaehyung might not be completely foreign to all this, he thought again with a smile.

The ringtone from his phone called him back on earth. On the screen, Jaebum's smiling face from the days they were training together greeted him.

“Jaebum?” he said as he picked the call.

“Younghyun-ah? I don't have much time, but we will hold our first concert on Friday, I'd be glad if you could come. I'll give you a ticket of course." Jaebum's voice quickly said in the receiver.

“No hello, no greeting, what is that Jaebum? Did the fame go to your head already?”

“Younghyun!” Jaebum scolded him a bit, guilt in his voice. “I'm sorry, you know I don't mean to...”

“I'm kidding, I know you're busy now. And I will come, I would have even if you did not call.”

Younghyun could almost see Jaebum's smile on the other side of the line. Even if he himself had a lot of things to do now, he had been following his best friend's activity on a regular basis.

"Thank you, Younghyun," Jaebum whispered. “We're performing at the stadium at...”

“I know, your posters all around the city are quite hard to ignore...” Younghyun explained without letting his friend going further.

“I'll send you two tickets then, so you can come with a friend. That is if you have any left since I will be on the stage” Jaebum chuckled as he teased his dongsaeng.

Younghyun almost replied back that he did have friends but finally did not. It was not a secret that he had never been the friendly sociable type of guy in the agency. He had lost touch with his old friends when he entered the agency and beside Jaebum, he did not go well with the trainees there. In fact, Jaehyung was the first one he spent so much time with during the last year. Jaehyung... should he ask him to go with him?

“Well, think about it. See you, Younghyun~” Jaebum said as he knew Younghyun was thinking and he hung up.

Younghyun looked at his phone and fidgeted it for a moment. The concert was in two days and now that Jaebum suggested him to, Younghyun really wanted to go with Jaehyung. Should he call him? Somehow, Younghyun felt stupid, he was like a teenager worrying for a date.

Jaehyung was not one, he did not even know if he could truly call him a friend. Yet, this was a good opportunity to get closer to Jaehyung. Professionally, of course. And maybe to build a real friendship, nothing else, Younghyun repeated to himself as he typed the number he got to know even though he barely used it.

After a short moment, Jaehyung picked up. “Younghyun?”

"Oh, Jae!" Younghyun exclaimed, taken aback, he had not noticed the ringing stop. “How are you?”

“I'm fine and you?”

“Me too.”

The silence took place and the conversation looked quite awkward for Younghyun.

“You rarely call, is there something wrong?” Jaehyung asked slightly worried.

“Nothing wrong!” Younghyun quickly reassured him, quite pleased to think about the latter's attention. “I just received a call from Jaebum, the friend I mentioned who recently debuted?”

“Oh yeah, JB, isn’t it? I see him on TV sometimes. What did he want?” Jaehyung asked, his interest rising.

“Well, he invited me for his concert on Friday, and I have to tickets so I wondered if maybe... you'd want to come or something... only if it doesn't bother you of course” Younghyun clumsily explained.

“Sure! I'd be happy to.” Jaehyung agreed joyfully.

Younghyun opened his mouth, surprised. He did not expect it to be so easy, but he was glad he did call Jaehyung. A rush of pleasant warmness ran through his veins and he felt unexpectedly good.

“For real? Nice!”

“You have your acting lessons tomorrow, right?”

“I do.”

"Okay, so see you on Friday Brian," Jaehyung said.

Younghyun did not answer immediately but he noticed Jaehyung was visibly waiting for an answer.

“Oh yeah, see you on Friday!”

They hang up and Younghyun feeling was now different from what he had had in mind all day long. He and Jaehyung were truly becoming closer. True friends, maybe or maybe something else, but they were going somewhere, Younghyun thought, happier than he had been lately.

 

 

          On Friday, they went to the usual training as they had to, but sadly the result was still the same as usual. Jaehyung even seemed to have more difficulties than usual to gather his mind. After three hours in the room, they noticed it was time to get ready and head to the stadium for the concert. They were excited, though in a different way.

When Younghyun invited him to go to the concert, Jaehyung decided to check on them. He then said he heard Jaebum's group's first album and he liked their style. It was very hip-pop-ish but all members had charisma and he also explained he liked Jaebum's dancing skills very much.

Younghyun, him, was happy to see his hyung and somehow role model _even if he would not tell him that _ on stage, realising his dream. He was above all nervous to go there with Jaehyung. Besides going to a coffee shop or shopping mall, they were not going out that much together. Even if he was doing his best to forget this foolish idea, the same word was coming to bother Younghyun's mind: date.

 

 

             Twenty minutes before midnight, the stadium was already empty but the lights were still on, illuminating the surroundings. The concert ended earlier and most of the fans were now heading home. Younghyun and Jaehyung were doing the same. The concert had been very good and as Younghyun expected it, Jaebum had been perfect. Most of the songs were dancing songs, but they were good and very punchy. At first, it had been a bit weird to stay in the middle of a crowd full of girls, but with Jaehyung by his side, Younghyun almost forgot it after a while.

Jaehyung enjoyed the show a lot. He had been jumping around during the whole second half and still was keyed up. He had been smiling like crazy all the time and Younghyun could not feel happier when he invited him. The band surely won a new fan today, Younghyun thought as he listened to the older man talking about everything he liked.

“It was a really good concert, they all very good. But I think Jaebum-sshi is the best. Especially when he does this BBoys thing! It's amazing, really! I wish I could do that too, but I can’t dance to save my life,” Jaehyung laughed as he bounced up and down on the pavement.

“I can’t believe that” Younghyun interfered in the young man's monologue.

“I have no rhythm that’s an awful sight, I promise.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not true, I’d like to see.”

“Come on, you Really don't want to see that. Nobody does.”

“I would like to see, especially if no one else did before.”

Jaehyung stopped his steps to look at Younghyun. He had a serious expression on his face and his eyes seemed to be scanning him. When he only noticed Younghyun's sincerity, Jaehyung looked down, his cheeks heating up and he resumed his path. His eyes still on the man who was walking away, Younghyun contemplated his silhouette under the night's lightning, the image of the blushing face persisting in his mind. Something in him aroused Younghyun interest, from the start he had, but now, he was beginning to understand it better.

“Jaehyung!” Before he decided to, his voice called Jaehyung's name as he walked faster to reach him.

“Why... why did not you stop playing when I came in?” Younghyun dared to ask the thing that had been bothering him for a while.

“I don't know...” Jaehyung answered without looking at the tall figure beside him. “I’m not as afraid when I play. I just don't think any more, my fingers are moving by themselves so I don't really feel anxious.” He tried to explain his thoughts the best he could.

“But isn't it the same for singing?” Younghyun asked again, curious.

"I don't think it is," Jaehyung said, shaking his head. “It's easier to play. It's easier to let your body talk when the rest of you don't want to. I've been taking guitar lessons since I was 6, that's probably why it's not that hard to play in front of someone.”

Silently, Younghyun nodded and Jaehyung gave him a shy smile.

“I know I don’t look like it, but I’m more comfortable with my body than my voice I guess?”

"Both are wonderful, though," Younghyun said, making Jaehyung blush again, deeper his time.

Younghyun did not immediately understand the meaning of his word, but his eyes widened when he did. Clearing his throat, he acted as if it was nothing, imitated by did Jaehyung. They made the whole way to the train station in perfect silence, but even after they each take a different train, the short sentence was still there, filling all their thoughts.

 

 

            Since the ~~date~~ concert, Younghyun was convinced things were going well. He had suggested picking Jaehyung up before going to their usual rehearsal and now here they were on the way, together. When they both arrived close to the building, they saw many people gathered in front of the main entrance. That was not so unusual, but it also meant someone famous was actually in the agency.

They walked through the second entrance and immediately noticed the brand-new group produced by the agency ready to go out, where the fangirls were waiting for them. Among them, Younghyun caught sight of Jaebum who waved at him with a smile. Younghyun decided to greet him since they did not have the occasion to talk since the older made his début, but a hand on his arm stopped his path.

“I'm off, meet me to the music room when you're done, okay?” Jaehyung told him with a soft stressed voice he did not expect.

“Don't you want to...”

“No really. Take your time with Jaebum,” Jaehyung cut him before he left him there and disappeared in the lift.

Surprised, Younghyun shrugged and walked toward Jaebum. They had never been very touchy together, but they shared a hug, glad to finally see each other.

“Congratulation hyung, you're a real artist now.” Younghyun praised him sincerely.

Jaebum smiled in answer and hugged him once more. He looked tired, but also very happy and it made Younghyun smile without noticing it. He had his make up on, heavy eyeliner, designer clothes and a carefully-designed messy hairstyle. He looked very much like the idol he always wanted to be, Younghyun noticed.

"Such a long time, I feel like I did not see you for months," Jaebum said.

“I did not see you for months though,” Younghyun scoffed. 

“Still a brat... I see”

Younghyun glared at him and it made Jaebum laugh.

“Thinking I almost praised your performance for your first concert.”

If Younghyun thought Jaebum's smile could not be wider, it was a mistake, because his words seemed to make him even happier than he already was.

“Thank you. I'm glad you came.” Younghyun barely nodded, but Jaebum knew he was listening so he did not take the grudge. "I heard you had special training," he spoke out suddenly as if he just remembered the fact. “Does it mean you will have your debut soon?”

Younghyun hesitated for a while. He did not know what to say since he could not tell the truth. He knew Jaebum would not say a word, but he had a confidentiality agreement and he could not break it.

“Maybe,” he said vaguely.

“It's a duet, isn't it? I heard you were working a lot with a cute boy lately. A newbie if I’m not wrong.” Jaebum stated.

Carefully, he observed his dongsaeng's reaction. He saw him grumble a bit, but a caring smile still appeared on his lips at the thought of this person he recognized easily.

“You heard a lot, tell me... Do you have so much free time?” Younghyun answered to switch the topic a bit.

“You can’t imagine how much gossip is going on while we’re are getting our hair or make-up done. But don't try to fool me; you did not answer my question.”

Younghyun sighed and quickly made up an answer suitable for both of them.

“Nothing's decided yet. I don't want to get ahead. You know how things are.”

“Humm... I see. Well, I guess it works well. You look different, somehow" Jaebum told him, surprising Younghyun who did not understand what it meant.

“Jaebum-sshi!” a voice called behind them, cutting off the discussion.

“Ah... I have to go now,” Jaebum said as he looked at his manager who just called him. “I hope we'll meet on stage soon,” he added with a playful grin as he patted Younghyun's shoulder and followed his band mates who were already leaving to pursue their schedules.  “See you~”

Younghyun nodded and wished him good luck with his work. Then Jaebum's words came back to his mind. Did he really change? Maybe. After all, the time he spent with Jaehyung pushed him and he was now doing things he would not have done before. After a short moment of thinking, he decided to follow the way Jaehyung took a bit sooner and slowly walked to the lift. 

In the corridor leading to the music room, he wandered with his mind still thinking about how the last months changed him when he heard some sounds coming from one of the rooms. Visibly Jaehyung was already trying to work already. Younghyun stepped closer and recognized from the muffled sounds the song he and Jaehyung were supposed to practice. 

Younghyun stopped in front of the door and listened carefully. Jaehyung was working on a line, correcting the pitch, repeating the same part again and again as it did not seem to be good enough for him. Thought Younghyun felt like it was wonderful, being able to hear him like that for the first time.

As he wanted to come closer, Younghyun hit the door and immediately walked away, afraid it would disturb Jaehyung. Precisely, Jaehyung stopped singing and stayed silent for a moment. Younghyun thought he noticed his presence and would simply go out, but he did not. Instead, he heard him clear his throat and warm his vocal cord for lower notes. Then the music started with a soft piano and slow rhythm. It was a song Younghyun never heard, but since he met Jaehyung, he learnt more new songs than he ever did.

There was a short silence and Jaehyung began to sing. His voice was as beautiful as he remembered it to be, even on this register he first heard from him. His voice was deep but the close door muffled the sound too much. Daringly, Younghyun pushed it, just a little bit to let the music fill his soul. Jaehyung's voice reached him and it blows him away.

For the first time, Younghyun understood. He understood why Jaehyung was so afraid of singing in front of people and why he needed to trust those persons deeply. His eyes were closed, but his heart was opened. Jaehyung was exposing his whole soul, feelings and heart. He never looked so fragile, as if a single touch could be enough to break him down.

He was not only singing he was living the song; feeling every word like they were bits of his flesh. It hurt to see him so sad as he lulled his environment with soft nostalgic voice. But at the same time, Younghyun was sure he never heard a more beautiful performance. He could feel the lyrics hitting him as if they were intended for him.

  
[_너에게 난 나에게 넌  
_ _Me, to you, you, to me_](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _아무 의미 없는 사이였겠지만  
We used to mean nothing to each other but_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _안녕과 함께  
With a hello_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[이제야 너와 난 하나가 되었어](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)   
[ _You and I have finally become one_](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _반가움으로 가득 찬  
Filled with happiness_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _표정을 하고서  
In your face_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _나를 바라보는  
You look at me_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _너의 앞에 다가가서  
And I go to you_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _사랑스러운 한마디 다시 또 꺼내봐요  
And say those loving words_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _Hi (Hello)_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _너에게 건넬 때마다  
Every time I say hi to you_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _날 설레게 하는 이 말  
It makes my heart flutter_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _Hi (Hello)_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _이 말을 주고받고서  
As we exchange those words_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

[ _너와 나의 이야기를 시작해  
We’re starting our own story_ ](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5u7x4p)

Then, as the song reached his heart, Younghyun knew he could never abandon Jaehyung and his dream. After this experience, he knew he would regret forever if he left Jaehyung now. He simply could not. He was more decided than ever to make his dream come true. They would do what the agency planned for them. Yet, Younghyun did not dare to show himself, knowing Jaehyung would probably stop if he did so.

He never wished so much a moment to never stop.

When the song finally ended, Younghyun waited a few minutes more, to let time for Jaehyung to sing again if he wanted to. When he did not, Younghyun waited a bit longer before he came in, to let him think the youngest barely arrived there.

Stress visible on his face, Jaehyung lowered his head and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. He smiled slightly and did not say a word, but Younghyun heart jump in his chest. Jaehyung knew all along, it seemed. He knew that he had been there, right behind the door.


	8. *O0°8°0O*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeaaayyy I made it in less than a week. It has to be a miracle -it'd be great if I could be that fast all the time but I kinda doubt in-  
> I hope this isn’t too ‘heavy’ with all the description, I don’t know how to write differently XD  
> Also you probably guessed but this chapter will start the transition so I hope you'll like it ^^

Lately, Jaehyung and Younghyun had taken another path to reach their common goal. The beautiful singer did not let hear his voice again, instead, he let Younghyun step a bit more in his little world.

They were working on the recommended songs separately to fulfil their duty but they used their time together differently. They were observing a lot of the trainees, monitoring their sunbaes performance and watching students busking in the streets. Of course, they were also playing the guitar a lot and more often than not, Jaehyung was playing songs he worked on with his friends. He didn’t like to admit it, but Younghyun couldn’t deny how talented the other men were.

All of their demos were good and he could tell all three were all skilled musicians. Both Sungjin and Sammy were good composers and Younghyun grew used to them. Mostly because he felt thankful for the latter who unknowingly gave him the opportunity to meet Jaehyung.

The best part of this new dynamic was that slowly, Jaehyung became used to have Younghyun by his side. He himself was very happy to experience such knowledge from Jaehyung, but he also noticed how easily the older man accepted his presence by his side now on a daily basis. He belonged there, beside him on the bench as they tried to play the song the best they could. They were still doing a lot of mistakes, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Jaehyung was usually nodding in rhythm as if he could feel the beat in his soul, his arm brushing occasionally Younghyun's on the strings when he wanted to show him something.

He was very glad he had this idea because he felt like these training sessions were not as useless as they were previously. Now, they were going somewhere.

Boosted by the step they climbed together, he was dutifully following his schedule and didn’t object the dance lessons he now had five times a week. As usual, he was on the way to meet Jaehyung in their music room. The lesson had been exhausting and he lazily entered the room, his sweatpants still on and his bag hanging on his shoulder.

Jaehyung was exactly where he expected him to be, guitar in hand, softly humming along with a melody he never heard. He wavered for a second when he noticed the new presence but didn’t stop and offered him a smile in the middle of the song. Younghyun smiled back to and silently leaned against the wall to sit down, his eyes focused on the show in front of him.

By the end of the song, the dreamy player put away his guitar with a heavy sigh. He walked toward the table and picked a bottle of water he gulped down.

“How long have you been playing here alone?” Younghyun joined him and leaned against the table.

"I don't know... a few hours maybe."

“Few hours?” the younger asked again as he raised an eyebrow.

"I guess I’m not sure. I had this thing in mind and it didn’t come out the way I wanted so... yeah probably around that," Jaehyung shrugged, clearly disappointed by his practice.

“Does it mean you were composing?”

“I’m not sure you can call it composing when nothing right comes out.”

“Why don't you join the trainees?” Younghyun suggested after a moment, “There are composition classes too, the teachers could help if you’d ask. Wouldn't that be better than being alone?”

Jaehyung looked at the floor and thought about it for a while. “Probably not. I don't think I'm supposed to compose or anything. I’m not really a trainee; they only brought me here to sing for you. They have plenty of musicians and composers already,” he looked a bit gloomy as he talked but quickly pulled himself together. “Moreover we have a secrecy agreement so I guess they want to keep it low. About me working here, I mean,” he explained.

“Then it failed obviously. Jaebum already asked me why I was training with a cutie.”

“He was obviously talking about someone else. I don’t think anyone of sound mind would call me that,” Jaehyung laughed. 

“I do think you are though.”

Jaehyung blinked twice, trying to confirm he heard it right and stay composed to not let out how much he liked the compliment. As he noticed what he just said, Younghyun cleared his throat and avoided Jaehyung's gaze, trying to find something smart to say.

“I mean you are totally idol material. Fans would call you cute.”

“Thanks…” Jaehyung nodded, feeling slightly warm and embarrassed. “Anyway, are you still wearing this because you want to dance with me?” he asked to change the subject, flashing an amused smile. “I am pretty sure I’m the best dancer you’ve ever seen!”

Surprised, Younghyun's eyes widened and he blinked twice to be sure he didn't hear it wrong, making Jaehyung laugh with his behaviour.

“What with that face?”

“Would you really?” Younghyun wondered out loud, showing his disbelief.

“Sure,” Jaehyung nodded, “but trust me, you don’t want to see that?”

“huh? but...” the younger looked confused.

“It’s a joke. I can barely stand on my two feet, you probably noticed already. And I have no body rhythm whatsoever. My friends keep saying it’s a wonder I can even play than guitar when I can’t even do the simplest moves without looking completely dumb.”

“I see… too bad, would be fun.”

“We can still play the guitar if you’re in. Don’t you have yours around here?”

Younghyun shook his head. “I didn’t bring it and I don’t really want to leave it lying around.”

“Then we can just share mine and see what we come up with.”

“Are you sure it’s fine?”

“It might be the biggest mistake of my life but I trust you enough to share this baby with ya,” Jaehyung cut him off with a soft voice.

“Yeah, thanks” Younghyun answered back quietly. He knew how precious his guitar was for him and was thankful to receive such a gesture of trust.

The oldest brushed his forever-messy hair from his face and stretch his arm toward Younghyun.

“Now, stand up!”

Younghyun looked up at him for a little while and gladly grabbed his hand to stand up, keeping it a bit too long in his before he let it go. Jaehyung's heart fastened and he gazed at the younger for a long time as the other didn't look away either.

A very long minute later, Jaehyung was the first one to break the link. Recently a lot of things between them had this double meaning. It was a bit too noticeable how some moves were not as friendly as they aimed it to be. Taking a grip on himself, he put his hands behind his back and quickly walked to his guitar.

“Would you like to go first?”

Younghyun grabbed the instrument handed to him and sat on the chair. He picked the cords slowly to get used to the sound of the new instrument.

“Do you need the mediator?” Jaehyung asked and the other shook his head.

“I’m good. What should I play?”

“Anything you feel comfortable with."

“I don't know... I haven’t really been playing for anyone for a good while. I mostly learnt by myself and all the songs I heard lately are the ones the teachers pick for us. I don’t have much to say, it’s usually the most popular ones."

“That's no fun,” the older shrugged. “What do you usually play when you’re alone then?”

“Anything going through my mind. It varies a lot since I’m open to any genre but I often end up playing ballads. I should try something else for once. Any suggestion?”

Jaehyung stopped to think about what would be best.

“Huum... How about Pink Floyd?"

“You wanna play Pink Floyd on an acoustic guitar?”

“Would you prefer Carulli?”

“Pink Floyd it is. Which one?”

“The Nile Song,” Jaehyung replied seriously and laughed when he noticed Younghyun’s frown.

“I’m kidding. Let’s go for ‘Wish you were here’. It’s pretty easy to play and goes well with acoustic.”

“I don't know it well, but let's try,” Younghyun agreed.

If Younghyun was barely able to play the bridge, Jaehyung knew the whole song perfectly. He could almost recite the score, it seemed and it was unexpectedly easy to follow him as he beat time with his right foot.

“You lost the rhythm,” he laughed. “Let me show you.”

He took the guitar and started to play the bar. The way his finger moved matched the original players, with this little bonus that made it so much better for Younghyun to see.

Jaehyung might not have the technical skills he could have acquired with the agency, but he was good; too good. His finger moves were fast and smooth to hit the notes as naturally as his voice did.

“You should be my teacher,” Younghyun approved.

“Come on Brian, you play just as well I not better. I just happen to know this song better.” He gave back the guitar and stood beside his friend.

Jaehyung was also a good teacher, very concentrated. He was always in his own world when he was playing but patient as he explained some sequences. Younghyun was also a very attentive and fast learner. Following his lead was easy, he noticed. After the time they spent to get to know each other, it wasn’t too complicated to understand Jaehyung’s intentions even before he started to speak.

Without any effort, it taught him how to adapt to someone else. He who had always been training without interacting much with the others found a new interest in working with someone. With Jaehyung, it was easier to get along, to follow his lead and guess was he was planning. Without thinking much, it didn't take them long to create a new world. They barely noticed how they stopped playing popular songs to start improvising together.

Little by little as they created new sounds, he could feel Jaehyung’s body ghosting against his. Slowly, he became more and more aware of his presence by his side. The proximity they had gave him the sensation that they could face anything together.

Just like that, what was supposed to be a single session became a custom. Younghyun never missed to bring his guitar along to the company. He never ever felt this good with his guitar in hands.

 

While they learnt more about each other in a way they never thought about before, Younghyun noticed the effect were way more useful than he thought for the training they were supposed to do together.

After some time, he was even surprised to find such pleasure in his work, but this again, he supposed, was probably only because of the man he had the chance to work with.

Never forgetting the fateful duty that brought them together, they also continue to work with their guitar, sometimes also playing the piano though they couldn’t really do it smoothly. Jaehyung didn't even try to sing lately.

Thanks to the three months they spent together and the guitar sessions they planned for themselves, they were now able to harmonize in a blink of an eye, even when they started as an improvisation. The new experience with Jaehyung showed him a new side of being an idol, a thing nobody asked him to do, but something he chose to.

"We should stop destroying the songs Sammy made. I’m not sure he’d forgive me," Jaehyung said one day, still half laughing after the very unusual interpretation of ‘Candy – So good’ they performed together.

"Yeah maybe, but he was willing to let you use them, so now he has to accept the consequences," Younghyun shrugged. “This song sounds kinda kinky by the way, I’m purifying it,” Jaehyung laughed at the joke and Younghyun couldn’t feel prouder at the moment.

“True, but we should create our own so nobody can bother us about the result.”

“Isn’t it what we’re doing most of the time?”

“We’re mostly improvising. Maybe we should try composing a song for both of us.”

If Younghyun didn’t know better, he would say Jaehyung looked shy with his suggestion. They created three harmonies together before and even if it was not really usable, they were proud of the result. Younghyun was even prouder when he heard Jaehyung grumble about how long it took him to write his first harmony with Sam.

This time around, Jaehyung wanted to compose a song. For the two of them; their song. Music was important in Jaehyung's life, he knew; it had to mean something. He never agreed so fast.

He tried some experimental chords right away and Jaehyung quickly followed. Both were trying random combinations on their guitar. The result was kind of messy, but very pleasant to play nonetheless. It didn’t take long for their notes matched again. The sound became softer and the rhythm firmer.

“Hey! This is not bad!” Jaehyung exclaimed when they stopped a few seconds later.

"Sounds like a love song," Younghyun answered although he was also surprised that it came out pretty well.

“Yeah~” Jaehyung whispered. “Or longing, something like a wish or hope maybe.”

Jaehyung tried to remember the notes and took a music sheet in a closet to write it down. Nodding his head on the inaudible rhythm, Jaehyung closed his eyes to get a sharper memory of the short tune. A soft melody slipped out of his closed lips as he began to hum the song to get it clearer in his mind.

“I'm convinced it could come out pretty well.”

Surprised, Younghyun gazed at him without blinking once, his face serious and pleased.

“What?” Jaehyung asked him with a frown.

Younghyun didn't answer but a smile stretched his lips and his fingers came to brush lovingly the back of Jaehyung's hand on the guitar. Jaehyung didn't move his hand and looked back at him instead, unable to breathe for a short moment.

"Thank you," Younghyun said in low voice and he smiled a bit more, his eyes soft and grateful.

For moment, he didn't know if he wanted to thank him for the way he felt, for his kindness, for allowing him to get closer or even for the time he thought Jaehyung allowed him to listen to his song through the door, but yet, he really had to tell him how he felt. And right now, he felt thankful... among many other things he was feeling stronger every day without daring to put the proper word on it.

“So should we write this together?” He asked as he brushed the thoughts away.

“Write it?” Jaehyung repeated in surprise. "How are we supposed to do it? I know very few about composition and lyrics actually. Or did you become a music writer without telling me? Lucky me~ I know another writer now!" he exclaimed teasingly.

"I never tried... yet... if your friends can do it, it can't be that hard. We can make it," Younghyun said with a pout, making Jaehyung laugh. “Lean on me boy~ If it’s bad, we’ll hide it and never talk about it ever again.”

“Okay let's give a try~”

Suppressing his pout with a grin that made his eyes uneven, Younghyun almost felt his heart flutter. Jaehyung didn't sing, but still, he knew that they made a new step. They barely had the time to think again about their newly found melody that a knock on the door called their attention.

“Good afternoon. Sorry for disturbing you”

The head of their manager appeared in the entrance, a serious expression on his face.

“Younghyun, can you follow me?”

He didn't make a step to come in the room and greeted Jaehyung from his place who answered back politely. With a frown, Younghyun stood up to greet the man and looked at Jaehyung.

“Don't worry, I wasn't planning to stay for long. I'll be leaving too,” Jaehyung told him with a smile.

Younghyun nodded and followed the man silently, wondering what he wanted from him, moreover alone. After the basic courtesy, the older man brought him toward the director's office where he was expected. As usual, a woman came to guide them and they entered the office to find the director at his usual spot on his seat.

“How is it going?” He asked the manager standing right beside Younghyun.

“Younghyun is doing well. Very well even. Better than we all expected actually. He works hard and his teachers are satisfied with his improvement. From what I know, he's on a good way,” the man said with his best professional voice.

The boss nodded, visibly satisfied by the answer.

“Good. That's what I wanted to know. So now I think we can also start your personal stage lessons, with your own choreographies and dance crew. The ones you will perform with. It might be useless, but it won't be a waste of time.”

Hesitantly, Younghyun nodded and looked at the manager who made a sign to tell he agreed with this decision too. It was not as if they really could go against the big boss anyway, Younghyun thought.

“Now, how about Jaehyung?” The director asked again, his sharp eyes scanning the two men standing in front of him.

“I don't really know.” The manager sighed. “I didn't notice any change and...”

“He's on a good way... too.” Younghyun cut him, his voice a bit louder than he planned it to be, but he couldn’t stop let a stranger criticize Jaehyung.

A little smile tainted by his doubts appeared on his face. The director's gaze went through his whole body and he almost shivered, uncomfortable. He could feel from the beginning there was something wrong with this meeting. Now he could tell it was because the improvement was too slow for the businessmen.

Time means money and too much money spent with too few results was a waste. Younghyun knew how this world worked, but he couldn't allow them to put the whole guilt on Jaehyung. They had known from the start Jaehyung had this block in front of people, they couldn't blame him for this now. Younghyun couldn't let them go with it so easily.

It was not really the truth, they were not going anything else with the songs and Jaehyung didn't really sing in front of him yet. Then he remembered what happened the previous week... he did hear him singing, but he was not even sure Jaehyung allowed him to. It might have been his imagination since they had no improvement on this matter after this.

However, it was not really a lie either. He did hear Jaehyung singing now and they even rehearsed many songs on the guitar. They were getting pretty good at it. They managed to have the same timing and they improved well together. Even if he knew Jaehyung was way better than he would ever be, Younghyun didn't think he once felt so good to play and hear someone simply humming a song.

“Did you start to sing together?” The director said, clearing all his thoughts.

Younghyun didn't want to lie, but he knew the truth would not put the things in Jaehyung's favour. His jaw clenched as he could see the man's dark eyes fixed on him.

“No,” Younghyun admitted as he felt a lump in his throat.

The director considered him with a blank face and Younghyun thought it was as if this old man on his chair had his and Jaehyung's life in his hands. And he did, with his sharp eyes and old low voice, the sentence fell on him like a death warrant.

“I give you one month,” he stated after a while. “If there's no result then, we'll have to find another solution.”


	9. *O0°9°0O*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My chapters are usually a bit long and it takes some time to post so I wondered if it'd be better in shorter parts or not. Lemme know!  
> This was supposed to be the first part of chapter 9, so not much happens but the second part is like... my favourite so I decided to take care of it separately.

When he left the manager's office, Younghyun felt like in a trance. His fight with Jaehyung was long forgotten. The friendship they were now building seemed stronger than ever and their relationship did progress, somehow.

Still, they were not going anywhere. They were getting to know each other slowly, getting accustomed to the other's presence. It did not bother Younghyun as much now that he began to understand the singer better. Of course, he was still a bit frustrated for not being able to find a real place in Jaehyung's life, but it might only be his greedy side. He did not take it as bad as he did previously since he heard him singing. Even if at that time he did not dare to show himself, it had not taken him long to understand his fear.  
To be more accurate, he would say he was now able to feel the overwhelming sensation Jaehyung's performance brought and as he wished to be able to enjoy the feeling forever. He had been able to understand why it was so precious for Jaehyung and why it made him so reserved.

From now on though, the problem will be different.

His feelings weren't the only impediment. The company clearly gave them a deadline. One month, the director told him. If they could not make any progress in one month, then the project would be buried. Which mean they would not make their debut and Jaehyung would not be able to achieve his dream.

How could he watch Jaehyung's dream be crushed in front of him? In part because of him as well. How could he tell him such a thing? He knew it would only bring more pressure and the burden on his shoulder would just feel heavier without helping him at all. Should he really tell him? Scare him and risk to block him again with the mere hope this new reason would make him sing in front of Younghyun? He wanted to be the only reason.

One month was too short and the responsibility the director gave him with this announcement was really difficult for him to bear. He could not give up on Jaehyung's dream now.

If there were no result, then they probably would have to stop the glimpse of a 'something' they barely created. He could not stop now the feelings he had for Jaehyung. Younghyun was aware of the nature of his affection now, but he did not want to scare the other before he even got his full trust. For now, he simply wanted to stay by his side and wait for him to be ready.

This announcement might stop the plans Younghyun had so deeply thought about.

During a few days, the routine started again and Younghyun smartly avoided all the question Jaehyung asked him about the sudden meeting the manager requested. He had not been in the mood to make up some elaborated lie to reassure him and fully let him believe it had been a normal encounter about his lessons.

White lies were fine, he tried to convince himself every time. However, the matter bothered him quite a lot and it did not take a genius to notice something was wrong. Eventually, Jaehyung did.

"Tell me what's wrong Brian, you're acting weird lately," Jaehyung requested in the middle of one late afternoon rehearsal. “Is there something bothering you?” he asked with concern, receiving a sheepish look from Younghyun. "And don't try to lie to me, you think you're smart but you're far from being a good liar," Jaehyung warned him.

Younghyun looked down and sighed. He didn’t know what to answer. Usually, it was easy, he was just dismissing the question. He had never been the type to tell what was on his heart to his family or friends. He usually kept everything for himself, feeling more at ease to deal with his problems on his own. This time, it was different, it was not only his problem, but it was also Jaehyung’s… and Jaehyung Was different.

“This is ... nothing.” He answered hesitantly, still wondering if he should tell Jaehyung the truth or prevent him for more stress about their 'collaboration'.

"Nothing," Jaehyung repeated worriedly. "You don't seem good though, I know it's nothing or else you wouldn't be so down about it."

Mouth closed and his eyes focused on the young singer, Younghyun did not know what to say. He could see the concern in Jaehyung's eyes and was very pleased to see the man caring about him, but he was also convinced he could not tell him the truth now. Not before he noticed at least a slight improvement while they were working.

“I don't want to bother you, it's okay. It's nothing, really nothing.” He lied the best way he could.

Jaehyung's gaze on him seemed ready to burn his skin and pierce his soul. He did not protest, but Younghyun noticed on his face Jaehyung knew he was lying. Despite the lack of improvement on other matters, they were able to see very small things about each other that people did not notice. Being the only one to detect when Younghyun was lying when nobody else did was one of Jaehyung's little new found talent.

“Take your time, you can tell when you feel like it.”

It was random, but the tone of Jaehyung's voice, this sadness, the slight pain he could hear in it, Younghyun just noticed that the trust he wanted so much from Jaehyung, he might have never fully given it to him.

Yes, he trusted him. He also liked him way more than he should in their situation, but he never actually showed him this confidence or how at ease he was with him. He had not even been able to tell or show clearly his growing feelings and the pang in his chest that seemed stronger every day.

Jaehyung was now aiming to the Hi-Fi while checking what song he could play. Slowly, without thinking, Younghyun walked after him. He slid behind the young man's back and his arms slipped around his waist.

Really, he couldn’t let him go. Not so soon. He needed to find a solution, find something, anything, but keep him by his side.

“Thank you.” He whispered next to his ear, as his head rested on Jaehyung's shoulder.

He didn't know if he was thanking him for his offer of simply for being in his life, but he just felt like it. Under his touch, Jaehyung did not react and stayed completely unmoving. Though, Younghyun noticed it pretty well, the shiver that ran down his spine while he was talking. He was going against his own decision by acting the way he did, but he could not help it; could not bear to be the reason for Jaehyung's sadness, could not bear to let him go away as he did.

To stop himself from hugging him tighter, Younghyun released his grip, letting his fingers brush Jaehyung's hips on the way. He appreciated how Jaehyung seemed to fight over the goosebumps as his own heart fluttered like a teenager. Walking away, he stood on his left side and looked in his direction thoughtfully.

“Jae...” He began, breaking the heavy silence. “You said it was easier for you to perform if you don't have to sing, right?”

Surprised, Jaehyung looked back at him and frowned. As he tried to find more information in Younghyun's eyes, he only got lost in the mixed feelings he found there.

“I mean, you don't mind to play in front of a large crowd, do you?” Younghyun said again.

Jaehyung took a second to think and nodded in silence, waiting for what follows, unable to guess what was in the youngest's mind.

“Train with me.” He said out of the blue.

“What?” Jaehyung asked confused. "We already spend 90 percents of our time training together, Brian."

“No I mean, let’s perform together. Well, train with me and follow the classes I do too. Learn how to dance with me. You know like we could rehearse the songs I am preparing together… I have a private teacher now and I will begin soon to learn new choreographies, so yeah… let’s do all of it together.” Younghyun explained more hasty and messy than he wanted to sound like.

“You mean…” Jaehyung didn’t complete his sentence, afraid he misunderstood Younghyun’s intention.

The youngest nodded and smiled awkwardly, hoping his proposition was not too rushed and that it won’t scare Jaehyung too much.

“I don't know what would come out but... it might be a good start if we can do this at least.”

“I… wow… of course it’d be awesome… but they might refuse this and…I Can't dance, let alone perform in front of people, I'm an awful dancer, you know…” Jaehyung explained, not so convinced by the idea but without rejecting it either.

"We can't be sure before trying. You can start with the basics and we'll see. We have to try everything. Even if it's just this…" Younghyun said in a hopeful tone Jaehyung could understand.

Jaehyung almost blushed but seemed to understand how important it was for the other. He smiled touched by the confidence Younghyun showed as he talked. As their eyes were locked, Younghyun’s suddenly.

“You know what? Let’s try!” He said as he took all their stuff in less than ten seconds and grabbed Jaehyung’s hand to leave the room.


	10. *O0°10°0O*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finallyyyy! Second part of chapter 9

One hour later, they were both weirdly dressed – with jeans and loose tee-shirt Youngyun usually used for his dance lessons – in front of a local famous bar. The place was well-known for its music and the big stage everybody could take over.

When they stepped in, the loud music overwhelmed them. Without looking behind, Younghyun took Jaehyung's wrist in his hand and walked directly toward the main part of the immense room through different groups of people.

Surprised, Jaehyung followed him inside and looked around the already crowded place. While they climbed up to the stage where a lot of people were already gathered, the music became stronger. Slowing down his step, he put his free hand on his belly and smiled as the bass resounded under his feet to reach his stomach. Wondering why he suddenly stopped, Younghyun released his grip and tilted his head silently.

“I love this feeling,” Jaehyung nodded in rhythm by the way of an answer.

“Me too.” The younger said back.

“Even though I don't come to such places often.”

“Why?” Younghyun asked, already guessing the answer.

"I feel completely stupid whenever I try to dance. I like the darkness though, it makes it easier to forget yourself in the dark," Jaehyung frowned.

“Good. Because that's exactly why I wanted to come here.” Younghyun grinned as he caught Jaehyung's hand.

Daringly, Younghyun kept the warm hand inside his and brought Jaehyung to the corner he wanted to go on the large stage. Once he reached it, he stopped and looked at Jaehyung, a bit blinded by the colourful lights. A bit stressed, Jaehyung's fingers tightened and Younghyun tightened back to reassure him. Unwillingly, he released his hand and stepped closer to Jaehyung's hear to talk as his voice was covered by the music.

"You said before you forget yourself with the beat, so just forget and dance with me," Younghyun said loudly but his voice and breath on his skin made the latter shiver as if he just whispered.

As he began to catch the rhythm, Younghyun danced, melting into the crowd moves. At first, Jaehyung mostly watched him, barely moving his head with the beat. Then he focused his whole attention on Younghyun, remembering their usual guitar practice, they synchronized as easily as they usually played. Jaehyung knew he could not dance like him, but he was overwhelmed by Younghyun's presence.

Then minutes later, they were dancing messily as if they were alone in their music room. For a moment Jaehyung was completely forgetting himself, lost somewhere between the music and his dance moves. His eyes glued on him, he noticed how Jaehyung forgot about the people surrounding them and just focused on him. He was too lost to care about their looks and criticism. More than the alcohol, the dark or the loud music, he got caught by Younghyun's comforting presence. Locked in their own world, only caring about each other, the songs came one after another. Some people around them had stepped back to give them some space. They did not care if they looked like they were crazy. Or at least, Younghyun did not care, because he was not sure Jaehyung was aware of the others any more. He couldn't be prouder at the moment.

When one of the songs stopped to give place to a slower song, they both snapped out of their daydream and took the opportunity to breathe and take a drink. Sharing a knowing smile, they walked to the side to drink and enjoyed their little moment of rest.

A song they were used to play together since their very first session began and Jaehyung caught his wrist. He was already beating the rhythm on the table and mouthing the lyrics, showing the brightest smile Younghyun ever saw.

This, he thought, _this_ was what Jaehyung needed to become a star... He was living the music. He just needed a way to forget everything, a way to leave his fear behind the pleasure of his passion. Younghyun knew it was possible, he just needed to find a way to help him, to make him feel safe enough to share everything with him.

 

The next day, Younghyun had had a hard time waking up. Not that he was drunk, they barely drank any alcohol and the lack of sleep was not a problem either because he woke up quite late after their long night. After hours dancing around without really taking breaks, Younghyun woke up aching all over his body. In the early morning, they went home only because he felt the tiredness growing. Strangely enough, Jaehyung did not seem that tired.

And here he thought he was well trained...

When they parted, they did not talk much and none of them wanted this moment to end despite their sore bodies. Younghyun had had to fight his strong desire to kiss Jaehyung before he left him. Right out of the bar, still under hold, Jaehyung hugged him goodbye, his head fitting perfectly against his shoulder, despite being taller. When he released him, Jaehyung just looked back and flashed him a smile. Younghyun almost leaned to kiss him.

Almost.

He still was not completely sure if it was something like a date or only a friendly meeting. He did not want to do anything before being sure of Jaehyung's intentions and he still had enough conscience to control his drives. Instead, he simply walked away pretty fast after that.

Since he woke up, the memory of the night kept bothering Younghyun. Repeating his newly found solution, again and again, he tried to find a solution to help Jaehyung and solve the problem with the management. With this thought in mind, he came earlier than usual to the agency to talk with his vocal coach and ask for some tips to operate his idea.

Before he noticed, instead of heading to the teachers' corner, his feet brought him in front of the music room by habit. He smiled at his own stupidity, he was not thinking about coming here, it seemed so natural for him now. When he was about to walk back to the other corridor, he heard a song coming from the room and recognized the first notes like the ones from the OST ~~(let's say)~~ of a popular drama. Instead of the usual singers, he heard the voice he had engraved in his memory for the very first time he listened to it.

[ _널 바라보고만 있어도_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _Just by looking at you_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _나도 모르게 미소를_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _I smile without even knowing_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _짓고 있는 나를 보면_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _When I see myself like that_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _신기해_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ It’s so amazing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _하루가 지나갈 수록_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _As each day passes_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)   
[ _널 향한 나의 맘은 더 깊어지고 있어_ _  
_ _My feelings for you grow deeper_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPVwdks8hGw)

Slowly he came closer to the door, his right hand carefully touching the door's wood as he strained his ears. He listened to the first verse in silence, unmoving. The memory from the previous time he spied on Jaehyung came back to him and he held his breath with anticipation, listening to the joyful song and the pleasant lyrics. How he wished the lyrics were true, coming right from Jaehyung's heart.

 _지금 이 노래가_  
_This song right now_  
_또 다른 사랑노래 같을 수 있어_  
_Might seem like Just another love song_  
_Yeah I know_ _그래도 난 부르고 싶어_  
_Yeah I know but still, I wanna sing_  
_지금 이 느낌을_  
_About my feelings right now_  
_So baby_ _들어줘 너를 위해 부를게_ _  
_ _So baby, listen I’ll sing for you_

He heard the voice stop, followed by a heavy sigh and the music continued by itself for a moment. Trying his luck, he boldly pushed the door and his eyes laid on Jaehyung eyes closed in the middle of the room. Carefully, Younghyun entered and watched the man who was getting ready to catch the chorus. Behind him, the door slammed a bit and Jaehyung opened his eyes as he heard the sound, locking his gaze with Younghyun's.

Jaehyung let out a low squeak. His voice trembled and for a short second, it seemed caught in his throat. Unable to look away from him, Younghyun's eyes saddened unwillingly as he offered a tentative smile. Breaking their connexion, Jaehyung closed his eyes once more and took a deep breath.

 _지금 이 노래가_ _  
_ _This song right now  
_ _또 다른 사랑노래_ _  
_ _Might seem like  
_ _같을 수 있어_ _  
_ _Just another love song  
_ _Yeah I know_ _그래도 난 부르고 싶어_ _  
_ _But still, I wanna sing  
_ _지금 이 느낌을_ _  
_ _About my feelings right now  
_ _So baby_ _들어줘_ _  
_ _So baby, listen  
_ _너를 위해 부를게_  
I’ll sing for you

His words resounded in the room, wrapping Younghyun in a cloud of happiness. The meaning was strong, offering more than Younghyun ever dared to think about. His voice was shakier than usual and his hands slightly trembling but Younghyun instantaneously felt his heart pound like crazy in his chest. The small break he took before he went on with the next part almost went unnoticed. He was one with the lyrics, it seemed and nothing ever reached Younghyun's heart the way the soft confession did.

 _온 몸에 전율이 흘러_ _  
Shivers go down my body  
__너무 기쁘다 못해_  
I’m so happy

 _눈물이 흘러_ _ye_  
That I’m shedding tears

 _Some people say, love  
  
__하지만 난 그것보다 더한_  
But I think

 _뭔가 있는 것 같아_ _ye  
There’s something more than that_

 _안다면 알려줘_ _  
If you know, tell me_

 _없다면 지어줘_  
If there isn’t, make one up

_To this beautiful feeling  
_

_이 아름다운 느낌_ _  
This beautiful feeling_

Taking over the second verse until the last one, Jaehyung seemed to gain a bit of confidence as the song reached its end. His voice was firm, delivering every word as if they meant the world. Taking a deep breath, Jaehyung opened his eyes to look into Younghyun's as he took over the last chorus

좋아 사랑이란 단어론 충분하지가 않아  
Like and love aren't enough  
이 아름다운 느낌  
to express this beautiful

It’s beautiful  
It’s beautiful  
This beautiful feeling

이 아름다운 느낌  
This beautiful feeling

It’s beautiful  
It’s beautiful

말로 다 할 수 없어  
Can’t express it with words  
이 아름다운 느낌  
This beautiful feeling

As he whispered the last sentence, he kept his gaze on the other man still standing beside the door. Hesitantly, his hands still shaking, Jaehyung waited for him to say a word that he seemed unable to pronounce. He was too glad to be accepted by Jaehyung as if all the time they worked together were meant for this moment as if the lyrics had been written especially for him.

Radiating happiness, Younghyun did not think he could feel better than he did at the moment. Without thinking, he rushed to the unmoving man. His hands took place on Jaehyung's cheeks and locked their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I hope you liked this chapt and are not disappointed by how it went  
> 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize to The Rose's fans because I love their music but I can't tell much more about them XD
> 
> Do you guys can tell more about what's going on??? It's still a bit slow, but it'll speed up soon ^^  
> Enjoy!

When they broke away from each other, Younghyun was not sure he wanted to open his eyes ever again. This taste on his lips, this sensation, the butterflies he recognized so well... he was too mesmerized by the short moment he shared with Jaehyung to break it so fast.

As he opened his eyes, he first saw Jaehyung’s wide eyes focused on his, his soft lips slightly parted. Then he easily noticed how his expression didn’t seem as enchanted as his and visibly under what looked like a state of shock.

He quickly took a grip on himself and looked away quite awkwardly. He could feel Jaehyung watching him carefully as a heavy silence took place between them both. He was usually self-confident, but the gaze shook him. He could literally feel it, travel his skin and piercing his soul. Uneasy, he stroked his nape and looked around anywhere but Jaehyung.

After a way too long moment, he gathered his mind to look as normal as possible and cleared his throat tentatively.

“You did it,” he said his voice less steady than he wished it to be.

Jaehyung’s eyelashes fluttered as if he was barely waking up from a very confusing dream and he finally focused them on Younghyun.

“You kissed me,” he whispered as his hand went automatically to touch his lips.

“I...” Younghyun began without knowing what to say.

"You kissed me," Jaehyung repeated incredulous, his cheeks turning pinkish as he felt Younghyun’s dark eyes looking back at him.

“I... yeah. Sorry.”

So lame he thought, but he didn’t know how to explain his impulse. He did it without even thinking, just as he felt the desire to. It happened too fast, even for himself and he had not been able to prevent it.

Too shocked about his own action, Younghyun had been unable to think normally for the rest of the day. He didn't know how to explain his behaviour to Jaehyung, but he was sure of it now. From the start, it had been clear, but now he simply couldn't ignore the feeling, his love. Though, he couldn't really tell this to Jaehyung for now. He had enough pressure to struggle with for now.

Unable to confess his feelings so soon, he chose to keep them. After that, neither of them dared to talk about it again. Younghyun stayed quiet and did not talk about the kiss he suddenly initiated. Hopefully, Jaehyung did not ask either, even if his behaviour showed clearly how much he wanted to have some explanations.

Instead, they trained as they did for the past months, working on this new song they recently started to compose. If both made more mistakes than they used to, they did not mention it. Even if it seemed really slow at the beginning and almost ineffective, as time flew by, they could now notice what a progression they made together. The melody was softer, brighter than before, full of all the feelings a confession could hold; like the obvious result of their common path.

The song was more than simple keys, more than mere notes written on a music sheet. It was a piece of their lives, their feelings. Like a piece of those moments, they shared their hope, their dream. More than any of them expected from this collaboration.

"I like it," Jaehyung said, breaking the silence that took place after they perfectly ended to play entirely Their still nameless song.

"Me too," Younghyun answered softly. “I wish we could play it for the public.”

“I think you might be able to play it live” Jaehyung added with a smile.

“That’s not what I mean...” The younger replied.

“You’re at a professional level, it wouldn't be a problem.”

“This is ours, I can only play it if you’re by my side.”Younghyun dared as he looked at Jaehyung sitting by his side on the piano bench. "I wouldn't be half as good without you.

Also, I've been learning how to play the bass lately, you can't ask me to change now.”

“I... Why?”

“You said before you have no bassist among your friends.”

“Well that’s true but why would you start learning bass when you already play the guitar so well?”

“So I can be your support? Isn't it what the bass is for?”

Silence wrapped them once more and a smile broke on Jaehyung’s lips.

“Thank you.” He said as he looked down modestly, almost daydreaming. “I wish...” He whispered after a moment and smiled again. “Let’s go! It’s late already!” He exclaimed suddenly as he stood up.

“Late?” Younghyun asked as he looked at his phone, to notice it was not as late as when they left the agency the day before.

“Yeah, I’m sorry, forgot to tell you, but I've to go early today," Jaehyung said, already packing his stuff.

Without answering, Younghyun only gazed at him, watching is each and every movement with wondering expression on his face. Noticing his behaviour, Jaehyung stopped for a second and stood up to look at him.

“I’m going home,” he explained, "Well, at Sammy's," he corrected after a second thought.

“Oh really,” Younghyun commented without hiding his disappointment.

“We have a series marathon every Thursday. I can’t break the tradition now, he’d kill me.”

“You never told me that.”

The tone of his voice was a little pouty and Jaehyung could only laugh at his behaviour.

“I guess the topic never came out. We might have spent too much time talking about music,” he smiled, slightly apologetic.

“I tell you everything though.”

Jaehyung's smile widened a bit more if possible. It was true that they had been talking a lot. And despite being particularly talkative and quite expressive, Jaehyung never talked too much about his family or friends. Maybe because Younghyun had never been too fond of Sungjin and he was cautious about who he introduced him.

“Do you think so?”

However, Younghyun’s expression was too adorable, almost childish and he couldn’t help but think that maybe, he deserved to know every single important person in his life.

“Would you like to come with me?” he asked as he took a deep breath.

“Where?”

"at Sammy’s, he won't mind," Jaehyung answered softly.

Younghyun didn’t answer, lost in his thoughts with a cute pout on his face.

“Lemme warn you, he’s a bit weird sometimes,” he joked, “Still, would you like to come with me?” Jaehyung asked again.

“Of course!” The youngest answered quickly.

“Let’s go!”

Jaehyung didn't wait long to leave the room. Only checking if Younghyun was following him, he walked out, his bag on his shoulder. Beside each other, they headed to the underground station in silence, Younghyun obediently following Jaehyung inside the carriage. The trip was not long but both stayed standing. They were facing each other, holding the pole in the middle of the carriage and looking at everything but each other as the memory of their shared kiss suddenly replayed in their mind.

“You sure there’s no problem if I come unannounced?” Younghyun asked to break the silence when they stepped out of the train.

“Of course not. He heard enough about you and wanted to meet you too.”

"Here we are," Jaehyung announced once they reached the station.

They walked out of the station toward a small building only a few minutes away.

“Second door on the left,” Jaehyung explained as they entered.

Younghyun nodded and stepped inside as Jaehyung held the door open. He entered right after and led the way in the corridor. Without knocking, he stepped into the apartment, inviting Younghyun to do the same.

“Get the pizza bro, I'm here!” He shouted in English from the entrance and took off his shoes.

“It's about time!” Another voice answered in the same language from another room.

Jaehyung stepped in, followed by Younghyun and soon after a slightly shorter figure appeared in the corner. Younghyun did not need to be told to know it was Sammy, even if he did not know much about him, something in his appearance, reminded him about America - about Jaehyung. Though the man was clearly young and visibly around the same age as them, he already had the aura of an artist. He was handsome, with strong eyes that made him look playful yet caring. Younghyun also noticed that no matter how handsome the man looked, he was undoubtedly more attracted by the shorter man by his side.

“Hey Jae!” The guy said while he hugged his friend, barely noticing Younghyun's presence. “How was today’s training?” He asked when he released him.

“Well... pretty … good,” Jaehyung answered, slightly blushing as he remembered the previous events.

Woosung caught sight of the standing man who did not dare to disturb the two who looked pretty much in their own world.

“Hi, I’m Woosung,” the owner of the house said, raising his arm to shake hands.

Younghyun took and repeated the Korean name a bit surprised.

“Jae always calls Sammy because we met before we arrived here, but my Korean name is Woosung.”

Younghyun nodded and tried to refrain the frown he felt hearing the nickname he liked to use to call Jaehyung.

“You must be Younghyun?”

“Yeah, do you know me?” Younghyun asked as he accepted the shake clumsily.

“Heard quite a lot about you...” The guy smirked, glancing at his friend. “You fit the description.”

Jaehyung looked away and acted as innocent as he could as if he did not understand the innuendo. He ended up meeting Younghyun's wondering eyes and had to fight the heat rushing to his cheeks.

“I'll be right back. You can sit in the living room, you know. You're not usually so polite, Jae,” Woosung said, inviting them to go to the other room.

They obeyed and Younghyun waited for him to be a bit further before the made a sign toward Jaehyung.

“Does he know?” He mouthed cautiously, trying to be discreet.

Jaehyung didn’t need to ask anything to know what Younghyun was referring to. They were not supposed to talk to anyone about their contract, and the fact that Woosung knew about him was already surprising regarding the conditions they both agreed to. With a smile, Jaehyung shook his head.

“Not really... he doesn't know what's going on. But he’ll notice, eventually. He knows me more than I know myself...” he said before taking a sip of his glass.

“What will I notice?” The voice behind him made him jolt in surprise.

“Sam! You’re too quiet lately,” Jaehyung scolded him as he wiped a bit of the drink that fell on the table when he heard the voice behind his back.

“Don't act like that, are you trying to hide something from me now?”

“Never, how could I?” he replied, full of sarcasm.

"Yeah, in fact, it's not like you could... it's way too obvious," Woosung said, not hiding the implied meaning of his sentence.

Younghyun was not stupid enough not to notice the hint as well and he could not restrain the bright smile that appeared on his lips at the realisation. The two friends updated each other about their lives, caught in their own world and Younghyun did not dare to bother them. They were teasing each other a lot and friendly at the same time in a way Younghyun never saw before. Not that he felt uncomfortable or shy, he simply did not want to bother the relationship the two had.

“Oh, sorry!” Woosung said after a moment. “I didn’t see Jaehyung the past three days, and this is always what happens when we begin talking... you probably noticed how hard it is to keep him quiet once he starts...” he added playfully.

“No problem” Younghyun answered. “I understand, don’t mind me.”

“You’re my guest here, help yourself with the pizza. Would you like something else to drink or eat?”

“Water will be fine.”

Woosung nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. He noticed the whole time how Jaehyung tried to look everywhere but at him while they were alone. Thinking about Woosung hint before, a soft smile appeared on his lips and he fought back the desire to hold tight the older man. A few minutes later, Woosung went back with three cups and a few bottles of beer, juice and water.

“Take whatever you want.”

“Thank you,” Younghyun said, accepting the cup.

Jaehyung took a cup as well and none of them talked for a short time while they ate.

“So you’ve been training for a long time?” Woosung asked.

“Long enough to think about giving up a few times.”

“And how do you like it lately?”

For a long minute, Younghyun wondered about what he was supposed to answer. Few months before, he would have lazily answered ‘it’s fine’ but without meaning it at all.

Now, it was different. He loved his training and probably never had been so passionate about anything in his life before. He was not so bothered any more about his dancing lessons nor the acting ones he recently got, but he mostly liked the ‘singing’ ones. Though, it was clearly not him singing he actually liked.

“A lot, yeah.” He confessed, his words taking more meaning as he said them, his eyes laid on Jaehyung.

As if he could feel the implied meaning, Jaehyung raised his head at the moment, meeting the youngest confident look on him. They shared a long gaze, unaware of Woosung quiet chuckles beside them.

“How old are you, again?” Sammy’s voice called him back on earth.

“I’m 23 and you?” Younghyun asked back.

“Same,” The other smiled, sending an amused look toward Jaehyung.

“You’re younger than Jae then?” Younghyun asked a bit surprised and the other nodded.

“Jae said you were producer and musician or something along those lines.

“I do both, but in university. I’m still semi-pro till I graduate. Which is much better than Jae who was ready to give up everything to become badminton player before I threatened him,” he answered with a slightly teasing expression on his face.

"I wonder why we’re even friends. He clearly has no respect for me," Jaehyung spoke and both men chuckled.

“It’s for the best, we wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Younghyun commented. “And do you sing too?” he asked Woosung to drift the topic.

“I do, but I have my own band for that. Let’s say I’m only helping Jae because I couldn’t accept the waste of his talent but we’re better playing separately,” he joked and received a punch on his arm from Jaehyung. “Also, I can tell you’re a much better fit for him.”

Younghyun nodded, slightly hesitant and Woosung openly laughed.

“Sellout!” They heard the taller man whisper between his teeth, but Woosung ignored him.

“At least I can proudly say I taught him everything.”

Jaehyung shook his head to dismiss and they once again talked about their respective activities, Younghyun participated occasionally, a bit in retreat. Jaehyung spent a long time looking at him with a soft look on his face that made Woosung smile as well.

Later in the evening, Younghyun informed them it was time for him to leave.

“Okay, it’s late anyway, I should sleep already, I have an early practice,” Jaehyung nodded as he looked at the time on his phone.

“Are you staying over Jae?” Woosung asked.

"I'll go back to my apartment home today," Jaehyung answered as he stood up.

"I see," Woosung said with a knowing tone.

Ignoring his friend’s remark, Jaehyung took his phone while Younghyun and Woosung were politely wishing each other good night. His bag on his shoulder, Jaehyung hugged his friend before he and Younghyun left the apartment. They walked out together until Younghyun broke the silence between them.

“You sang with Woosung, right?”

"He's the one who recorded the song... of course we did," Jaehyung said as a matter of fact. “But only because he knows everything about me already.”

“Alone?” Younghyun asked again.

“Mostly,” Jaehyung nodded. “But we sometimes sing with Sungjin and Dowoon.

“I see.”

Younghyun looked at the floor while they walked, trying to gather his mind full of too many thoughts.

“Would you do it for me as well?”

Jaehyung slowed down his steps and looked at Younghyun by his side.

“I... already did. Didn’t I?”

“No, I mean... willingly... in the studio, even with them maybe?”

His eyes focused on the younger man, Jaehyung didn’t answer as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. The topic of him singing always made him a bit stressed, but this time, he was convinced it was not the only reason that made his heart bolt.

“Will you sing again?” Younghyun asked a bit hesitant, stopping his walk to look at Jaehyung face to face.

“What?”

“Will you sing again for me?”

His gaze was so strong that Jaehyung was pretty sure it could burn his skin. He could feel it so deep it made him shiver. He swallowed with difficulties and tried to clear his voice before answering.

“Probably.”

Without breaking their eyes connection, he breathed deeply and added: “Will you kiss me again?”

Younghyun leaned toward him, pushing him closer to the wall, his eyes fierce and his aura overwhelming, he made Jaehyung melt with the answer.

“Probably.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guyssss I'm really sorry for this delay ><  
> I'm already working on the next chapter to make up for this!!  
> Hope you'll like it

It was barely ten in the morning and Jaehyung was already in front of the door, waiting for Sungjin to open. He had knocked ten times already, rang the doorbell many times and received weird looks from the other tenants passing by, but they still had no one to take them inside.

“Wake up sleepy head!” He called, leaning again the wood. “You promised to help us!!”

Behind him, Younghyun had already given up ten minutes ago. Laid against the wall near the lift, he waited for Jaehyung to stop being stubborn and accept his offer to come back later. He had been dragged along by Jaehyung, supposedly to work differently on their duet, on a proposal from Sungjin, of course.

“Are you sure he’s inside?” Younghyun asked lazily.

"I am, but he’s surely sleeping. Sungjin is such a bother to wake up early, he usually sleeps in the morning rather than night." Jaehyung answered, punching the door again, loudly.

Suddenly, the door opened and Jaehyung stepped back, surprised to see Sungjin's sleepy face in front of him suddenly.

“What’s all this noise so early?” He grumbled with his raspy morning voice.

“Good morning Sungjin! Nice to see you as well,” Jaehyung singsonged to bother his friend a bit more and stepped inside the house without being invited.

Sungjin rubbed his eyes and looked at Jaehyung taking over the place as if it was his. Walking around the apartment, he made few comments about Sungjin’s obsessive cleaning and asking about Dowoon. He turned back toward Younghyun who was still on the corridor and greeted him with a gentle smile.

“Morning, Younghyun.”

“Good morning. Sorry for bothering you.”

“No problem. I’m kinda used to it by now.”

“We can still come back later if you want...” Younghyun offered politely, it was still a bit awkward with him.

"No need. Jaehyung already woke me up anyway. Come in."

Younghyun accepted the invitation and bypassed Sungjin to go in. He waited for him to close the door and show the way, not feeling comfortable enough to follow Jaehyung’s path.

Younghyun and Sungjin were not exactly the best friends in the world, but they grew used to each other. Younghyun was never too comfortable in his presence, but he learnt how to get along with him well enough.

In fact, Younghyun felt a bit guilty and pretty stupid with Sungjin. He still remembered their first encounters and his first – the only one thankfully – fight with Jaehyung whenever he saw Sungjin.

Sungjin, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten everything. He had been a bit suspicious at first, but not anymore. Recently, it looked like Sungjin was supportive, inviting him to take care of Jaehyung and dropping some hints from time to time. Even without spending much time with him, Younghyun understood it was his character.

The problem seemed forgotten and Sungjin was always trying his best for Jaehyung. He was not very demonstrative but still very caring with his friends.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be back," Sungjin replied and he disappeared behind the bathroom’s door.

"We're losing time Sungjin," Jaehyung said from the piano bench he was sat on, a music sheet in his hand.

“Dowoon is not even awake!” he replied.

“With all the noise, how can I not?” they heard a low voice reply from one of the rooms.

A few minutes later, Sungjin came back, looking much more presentable than before, followed by a sleepy Dowoon.

“Did you go out yesterday or…”

“I didn’t, but the kid here spent the night playing online. I'm surprised you weren't playing with him.”

“He sucks at LoL, I don’t play with him anymore.”

Jaehyung put the sheet down on the mixer nearby and opened the piano's cover. He sat up straight and let his fingers play with the ivory. He stopped for a short time and messily played few notes Younghyun recognized immediately as theirs. Jaehyung turned toward him and flashed him a dazzling smile.

 “Come here.” He said as he tickled the ivory playfully.

“You’re aware none of us knows how to play the piano, right?”

“Does it matter?”

“I guess not,” Younghyun laughed.

Obediently, he came closer and sat beside Jaehyung. The bench was small, but he fitted as if the small space by Jaehyung's side was his. Jaehyung played again some notes that sounded a bit like the intro of their song and looked toward Younghyun, inviting him to play along. The song was not made for two players and none of them knew how to do anything but press on the keys they recognized, but Younghyun was unable to refuse the invitation.

 “Did you already play one of the songs for them?”

Once again, Jaehyung’s fingers stopped on the ivory and he turned toward Younghyun, eyelids fluttering.

“Never.” He tilted his head and bit his lips. “It’s ours... I never thought about showing him without you.”

A rush of heat wrapped Younghyun’s body and his eyes darkened. Jaehyung looked back at him and his tongue went to moisten his suddenly dry lips. A noise from the bathroom made them both jolt and they barely saw Sungjin go out to reach his room. With a low chuckled, Jaehyung shook his head, as he found the situation pretty stupid.

“We could show them, they might be able to give us some advices.”

“True, but we should finish the lyrics," Jaehyung agreed.  

“Maybe we can show the partition first?" Younghyun asked his mind already far from their previous discussion.

 “Right,” the oldest nodded. “We should do that.”

"But if we want to make a demo later on, we will need your voice anyway," Younghyun said, barely hiding the implied meaning his sentence.

"Yeah... we will," Jaehyung answered softly, showing more of his confidence toward Younghyun. “I will.”

Younghyun observed him, trying to get the confirmation that Jaehyung understood what he meant. Did Jaehyung willingly decide he would be singing for Younghyun while they would be writing their song? With a reassuring expression, Jaehyung confirmed Younghyun’s doubts, making him happier than ever.

"I never heard you sing by the way," Jaehyung stated.

“What for?” Younghyun raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know... I mean... it’s an agency for idol and singer training so... why aren’t you singing? ”

A half smile appeared in the corner of Younghyun’s lips, but it didn’t express much joy any more. The way he looked at Jaehyung showed how he expected everybody to already know about his failed lesson when he first came in. He was pretty famous for this in the agency after all.

“I mean at least trying? I heard about your training but...”

"Nobody cares about the way I sing and I don't particularly like it either," Younghyun explained.

“I’d like to hear though...”

A short silence followed during which none of them dared to look away from each other.

"Oops." Jaehyung chuckled accidentally pressing a wrong note and Younghyun found himself laughing as well.

 “I like your eyes when you smile,” Jaehyung said.

Younghyun didn’t answer and Jaehyung tried another note to avoid the gaze on him. For a moment, the youngest simply looked at him but the question bothering his mind did not go out of his mouth.

The connection was broken by Sungjin’s very-not discreet appearance, Dowoon in toes.

“What are you guys doing?” Sungjin stopped by their side.

“Playing a song, can’t you hear?”

“I do hear the mess, that’s why I ask.”

“Don’t break out creative inspiration!”

“Sorry for disturbing” the youngest apologized while the other did not look the least guilty. “Hyungs,” he smirked.

“Yeah, yeah I thought they woke me up for working on music, not to eyeball each other...” Sungjin joked.

Both men looked away, everywhere but the other, which was difficult since they were sitting side by side. They blushed and Sungjin laughed, easily followed by Dowoon.

 “Okay let’s start as usual? Warm up,” He said with a clap of hands.

“Do I need to sit too?” Dowoon asked.

“Not yet, we'll start with the usual.”

Jaehyung stood up and stretched a bit his arms, back and neck, almost the way he does when they were playing. Still, on the bench, Younghyun followed his every move with attention.

“May I?” Sungjin asked playfully a hand on the piano.

Quickly, Younghyun stood up straight and hit the bench on the way. He put it back at his place and mumbled some apology. Really, he hated how stupidly he behaved when Sungjin was there.

“No worry it won’t take long, it’s just for the warm-up, I’m not a very good pianist.”

Sungjin thanked him and took place where Jaehyung had been sitting before. His hand rested on the keys and he pressed on the key to give the note. He cracked his fingers and made a sign toward Jaehyung who nodded and took a deep breath as he sent a few glances toward Younghyun.

In a way he didn’t see him act usually, Jaehyung warmed up his voice, following the notes given by Sungjin. He had seen those techniques a lot with the other trainees, but it seemed more melodious from Jaehyung; familiar yet foreign.

With the help of the piano, Sungjin corrected him and pushed him a bit when he felt like it. The way they worked together was harmonious and everybody could tell it ran with experience. Everything looked like an automatism. From the order of the exercises to the playful gestures they had for each other and the silent communication between them.

"Let's start the serious things," Sungjin said after fifteen good minutes of random vocalises.

He smiled and took his guitar, playing some notes as a warm-up. He stopped to put the sheets in front and turned toward Jaehyung.

“Remember this one?”

Jaehyung nodded and stretched his arm to reach the spare partition Sungjin handed him.

 

With his acoustic guitar, as he played better than Younghyun ever wished he could, Sungjin looked very different from the teasing guy he sometimes was. He loved and dedication for music was obvious, but Younghyun was also sure that his care for Jaehyung was no stranger to his efforts. For the first time, Younghyun also noticed that his behaviour might be protective with his two close friends; he didn’t show any feeling exceeding the close friendship they build up through the years.

The music faded and started again. Without stopping, Sungjin turned his head toward Jaehyung and bent over to remind him the right moment to start. The music sheet in his hand resting against his thigh, Jaehyung started singing. Awkwardly standing against one table, Younghyun didn't dare to move. He listened to the new song and let Jaehyung's voice fill him, travel through his mind and skin, accompanied by Sungjin's music.

As he sang, Younghyun knew Jaehyung’s place was on stage, if he was not convinced enough before. Everything in him fitted what any professional would look for in an artist. He had the voice, the competences in dance, the body, the face and the charisma. Really he had everything and Younghyun was sure that being his understudy would definitely kill any chance for him to have a real carrier.

Participating in such a trick was not good for anyone. As they spent more time together, he realised that it was as bad for Jaehyung as he first thought it would be for him. Jaehyung deserved more. He deserved to be recognized for his talent, to stand in front of the world, to show everybody this wonderful gift he kept so preciously.

They stopped and worked again on some parts. Sungjin correcting a few details about the way he imagined his song, giving more information about the feelings and give some tips for Jaehyung’s interpretation. The session lasted for a moment, but Younghyun would not have been able to tell how long. He was too focused on the way Jaehyung worked, his professionalism and the unexpected confidence he suddenly had.

"You know Jaehyung, it'd be easier in a studio, our apartment is not made for this," Sungjin said after many corrections.

“You’re the one who suggested working in a different environment,” Jaehyung protested.

“But I didn’t mean it to be done here. I think you need a real studio now.”

"I know... it's not easy for me, you know that! I need a place I'm comfortable in. I feel comfortable in your apartment. I guess I got used to singing here." The singer smiled.

They rested for a short time and Jaehyung left the room to get a bottle of water while Sungjin was trying to organize some paper and partitions spread around the room.

“Wait, guys!” Jaehyung suddenly exclaimed. “Could you… look at this?” he said, showing a partition on his phone.

Sungjin and Dowoon inched closer to look at the partition. They read it carefully and Dowoon shook his head in rhythm. Younghyun immediately understood the older’s intention.

“You sure?”

Jaehyung bit low lip. “Yes.”

Sungjin tilted his head and sat straight again, his hands ready on the cords. He started playing slowly, following the partition as well as he could. By his side, Dowoon beat the rhythm with his foot and nodded approvingly.

“Sounds nice.”

“Did you guys wrote that?” Dowoon asked in awe.

“We did,” Jaehyung confirmed, reassured by their encouraging answer.

A soft smile came on Younghyun’s lips as he replayed to the melody inside his head.

“We call it I like you, but we might change the title so it doesn’t sound too boring.”

“I suppose there’s no hidden meaning behind that, is there?” Dowoon joked, making Sungjin laugh and the two other men blush.

“But it’s good, really,” Sungjin added “It sounds soft and the melody is good. Well, this the few lyrics you wrote it’s hard to tell how it’ll sound, but... wow, really good work.”

“I completely agree. It won’t sound as professional, but I like it.”

Both Jaehyung and Younghyun beamed hearing the compliment. It was a small step, but they were growing as artists and they felt proud.

“Send us the partition and we’ll give you better feedbacks after trying it again,” Sungjin said.  

Both singers agreed and Jaehyung sent them the file right away.

“What is it?” Jaehyung asked, pointing toward a document he didn’t recognize.

“Hum?” Sungjin looked at the papers. "Oh, that's the partitions Sam left in the studio last time. He asked if ForLive could participate in the performance they’re planning at his Uni. Something about getting production credits."

“ ‘How can I say’? I thought we dropped this one before. Are you really able to sing that?”

“Don’t underestimate me okay?”

“I don’t but... You know I love your voice too but this one is a bit…” he shook his head. “And this is a rock song. You don’t even have a bassist.”

Sungjin laughed and patted Jaehyung’s shoulder.

“I’ll find one by then and no worry, I’ll rock this song.” They laughed and Sungjin stopped before he started again, a bit hesitant, “Well, in fact when I talked about trying something different, I had a little thing in mind...” He answered the unspoken question.

 “You already sang in front of each of us, right? The three most important persons in your life, right now,” Dowoon added, already aware of Sungjin’s plan.

Jaehyung didn’t answer and simply blushed after a glance toward Younghyun.

“You can sing in front of us. So maybe...”

 “Different, like?” Jaehyung asked.

“Like maybe singing in front of more persons. Actually, When Sam mentioned his show, I suggested you do it too. We could find a good song, but…” he let his sentence unfinished.  

 “Sungjin...” Jaehyung complained.

"Hey, I'm just saying! It's a bit too early for this, I guess." Sungjin noted. “Okay, let’s do Congratulations once more,” He cheered a bit too loudly.

They tried again some things, alternatively without music, then with music again and Younghyun felt like it was more perfect every time he heard it. He didn't make a sound and tried to be discreet like Sungjin usually did. He stayed around, unmoving while Jaehyung sings until Sungjin stopped his contemplation. He handed him a partition that was on the table in front of him and he looked at it blankly. As he had been watching and listening carefully to Jaehyung, he forgot was supposed to learn the song too.

With an expression of determination on his face, Jaehyung accepted. He went to pick up his forgotten partition again and Younghyun noticed how he tried to control his occasional burst of stress.

Sungjin was playful but reassuring while Dowoon was as supportive as ever. But as Younghyun observed them, he noticed how good Sungjin was to make Jaehyung feel at ease. Sungjin’s magic did his trick as he played while Jaehyung sang for the three of them. Maybe, his suggestion could work, he thought, with the help of the two other musicians, he was convinced they could make it true.

When Jaehyung ended the song, he looked a bit lost and his hands were shaking, but Dowoon and Sungjin clapped to congratulate him and Younghyun clapped along, loudly. Jaehyung’s smile was wider than ever and received gladly the hug from his brother. Slowly, Younghyun walked toward Sungjin who was proudly observing him with a grin.

“Why are you doing this for Jaehyung?” Younghyun wondered, his eyes on Jaehyung and Dowoon chatting loudly as if they didn't see each other for weeks.

“Because he's talented and he tends to forget it.”

“Is that all?”

“If you mean, am I in love with him or anything, I'm not. But I want the best for him.”

Weirdly convinced by his words, Younghyun nodded. Somehow, he knew he could believe him.

“Me too.”

After seeing them working together, Younghyun felt the difference. He felt their bond, their friendship, but he also felt how different his working session with Jaehyung was… much more meaningful, less professional and certainly more loving.

“Jaehyung needs comfort and support... that's what I try to give him. He's a talented singer, yet he resigns to be a hidden artist forever.”

Younghyun frowned, apologies already on his lips.

“I’m not blaming you. You gave him more in this short time than I did for years. I know that, but I can tell Jaehyung wants more. I can't accept him to stay behind, even if it's his will. As an artist, he’ll never be completed if he doesn't perform in front of a public. You understand, right?” he asked, eyes strong and confident.

Younghyun nodded and everything seemed perfectly logical as he heard it from Sungjin’s mouth.

“With your help, Younghyun, I’m convinced we can make Jaehyung’s dream comes true.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the new chapt! I updated the songs on the previous chapts, because I noticed that I forgot to had the links ^^''
> 
> I can't promise but I'll try to post the next one during the weekend to make up for the week I missed :D

Younghyun was in the middle of his acting lesson when the director's secretary asked him to come to the main office as soon as possible. The recollection of his last meeting with the big boss came to his mind and he wondered what it could be about now that everything began to work properly.

Not long after, the actor who was teaching him dismissed him, a bit earlier than usual. He gathered his belongings and left, wishing to the older man a good week. Slowly and with questions all over his mind, he walked to the office like he had been invited to. As usual, he knocked and waited politely for the secretary to escort him inside.

“Ah, Younghyun!” He heard as soon as he stepped in.

“Good evening, sir,” he bowed, only receiving a vague sign from the man, inviting him to come closer.

“How is everything going?” The director asked, putting aside the salutation.

“Pretty well...” Younghyun answered hesitantly, not really knowing what answer he expected.

The old man nodded and crossed his fingers under his chin. He looked at Younghyun in silence and raised two fingers in front of his mouth as he waited for him to explain further.

“He’s singing... Well, we’re singing,” Younghyun finally added, “Together,” he said, the idea recently implanted by Sungjin growing in his head.

“Good,” The director commented satisfied, “Very good.”

Younghyun agreed, not daring to say much as he expected some surprising news or comment from the other man. The director rolled his chair to get away from his desk and leaned on it. He rocked his chair from side to side and forced a quick rictus he supposed was a smile.

"In fact, we started accelerating things a bit."

“Accelerating?” Younghyun frowned.

“Yes. I heard everything is working well and I don’t want to delay things much longer. We would like to start promoting by June,” the man said with his flat business-man voice, his face serious once again.

“Promoting...” Younghyun repeated like a kid hearing a foreign language for the first time.

“Promoting” The other confirmed. “For your début single.”

“Debut single,” Younghyun whispered dumbfounded.  

The two words rang inside his head like a bell, again and again like an endless echo. His debut single was the thing he was getting prepared for since the day he first stepped in the agency. Everything in this building was made with this goal.

All the trainees were dancing, singing, acting, basically exhausting themselves for this day. The day the director would announce their début. Even if he had never been the most implicated one, Younghyun like any other kept the hope to reach that goal one day. It was more to prove he could do it than really for the debut itself, but still, he had been waiting for this day.

However, the feeling was very different from what he expected from his talks with Jaebum. He never thought it would feel so... bittersweet.

He didn’t even feel repulsed by the fact that he would be a simple puppet on stage. The feelings shaking his body were far from this thought.

Working on their duet had been particularly reposing, comfortable and pleasant. He didn’t want this time to stop, he wanted to continue his sweet hours listening to Jaehyung’s laugh, playing the guitar side by side and talking softly until they grew too tired to stay longer.

Reaching the end of the process felt almost like a slap. This debut single was what they were training for. If he easily forgot his indignation and doubts about the project during the hours of training with the older boy, the whole purpose of this training suddenly seemed painful.

The start of promotion also meant they would begin to work for real... and the training would stop. Soon they would have to fulfil their respective role and keep their place. One would tour around the country while the other would forever stay in the studio. Would they even have to me to meet regularly?

It was too early. Younghyun wanted to enjoy their time together a bit longer.

“The team in charge of your project and I have been talking and we selected a few songs already,” the middle age man's voice calls him back on earth, “we decided to begin recording by next week.”

“Recording? A song?” Younghyun asked, feeling a bit dumb for repeating every word, but it seemed like the only way make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Of course. I will give you the list by the end of this week and we want Jaehyung to record the first one. Depending on how it goes, we might start the full process with you, prepare the full concept and work on the jacket and the poster. Once this part is secured, everything should go quite fast,” The director explained, uncaring about Younghyun’s shocked expression. “You will have to train more for the playback and the most difficult part might be to handle his accent, but it should be fine. It’s mostly a question of habit.”

The young trainee stayed frozen for a while, thinking over and over about the same things. Jaehyung will sing, he will perform. It was what they signed for, the deal they both accepted. It didn’t seem as simple as it had been when he agreed though.

He knew the reason for this weird and disturbing pinch in his chest was not only the deception of being part of such a trick but his partner. He almost grew used to the idea of being only an empty decoration, but he began to feel his rebellious side waking up for Jaehyung.

Sungjin was right. Jaehyung didn’t deserve to be hidden. He couldn’t accept to let him behind while he would take the light. With his talent, he had to be shown and Younghyun wanted to show to everyone how amazing Jaehyung was.

“I... why now? ... we do work together! He sings with me and... why?!” Younghyun said without thinking, bitterness lacing his voice.

"I don’t think I understand what you mean, Younghyun,” the man’s eyes pierced his soul to find an answer he wasn’t ready to give, “This is the term of your contract. This is what you agreed a few months ago,” he added sternly. “Eventually, Jaehyung has to record the song for you to sing them. We just settled the calendar."

“I know...” Younghyun nodded and he hated how insecure he felt pronouncing those words.

He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind to explain the situation. “He can sing, he can play, he can perform... even better than you think! He’s an amazing artist; he can’t be stuck in a recording room forever.”

The old man looked at him for a long time without saying a word. Younghyun swallowed with difficulty and wondered how a short explanation in front of a single man could make him more stressed than the idea of being on a stage in front of a thousand persons.

“I really don’t understand what you are trying to do. This was the agreement, there’s nothing new,” the man lectured him. “I don’t doubt his talent, but I also know he’s not able to be an idol. Standing on a stage and performing in front of a crowd is more than just singing, you should know that more than anyone.”

"I know," Younghyun said, doing his best not to weaken and show his resolution. “I know but he deserves more than that.” He took a deep breath and put all his strength to convince the man in front of him, “I will make him sing. Just... believe me and he’ll show you.”

His eyes fierce and his chin up, he didn’t even blink while the director stayed still, not moving one inch. For a moment they stared at each other, waiting for one of them to look away until a smile broke on the old man’s lips.

“I’ll be waiting,” he agreed with his usual smirk. “But I won’t be waiting forever.”

With a gesture of the hand, he notified the meeting was over. Younghyun turned around and closed his eyes to take a deep breath, ignoring the assistant director’s gaze on him.

When he opened them back, he was already out of the room, the closed door behind his back. The expression on his face showed his determination as he took his phone out and looked for a number he never thought he would use soon. Reaching Sungjin’s name in the contact list, he wrote as fast as he could, his jaw clenched, between resolution, fear and anger.

“ _I need your help.”_ He sent, not even looking twice at the short message.

His feet brought him fast to the music room. He slammed the door slammed open, not realizing he used so much strength until he heard the thud. He noticed first thing Jaehyung’s worried gaze on him.

“Brian?” He asked half stunned half scared.

His name slipping softly from Jaehyung’s lips was soft enough to make him freeze. His eyes meet Jaehyung’s still on him, silently asking him about his unexpected mood troubles. A smile answered his question and his gaze softened as he saw the other man blink with concern.

He tried to control his battling feelings before making a move.

Delicately, he grabbed the door and closed it behind him. Lightly resting on the close door, he locked it without turning his back. His hand left the handle, brushing the wood as he walked away. He made two very slow steps toward Jaehyung, captivating his whole attention.

“Jaehyung... can you sing for me?” He pleaded his voice low yet gentle.

“Now?” Jaehyung asked, not expecting such a sudden request.

“Please...”

The soft supplication was made with a firm voice, but Jaehyung could feel all the dedication from Younghyun with a single word.

“Any song is fine, I... I just want you to sing for me. If you can...” He explained, doing his best to keep his voice as normal as possible, “I know you can.”

Trembling, Jaehyung hesitated a bit a take a deep breath. Clenching his two hands together, he closed his eyes. For some unexplainable reason, it looked like his fear of singing in public was not the mere motive of his sudden rush of stress.

For a moment, he let the melody lull him, ringing inside his head and he softly began to hum the notes. Without thinking about it, his fingers played in the air the notes of the intro.

He stopped a single second as he opened his eyes, but as he caught this deep gaze it felt like it lasted one hour. Soon, he averted his eyes again and the silence was filled by a smooth voice.

The song was not exactly powerful, more delicate one, but Younghyun got wrapped by the softness of the melody sung by the beautiful voice. He heard the song only once from one of Sammy’s recordings, but he noticed the message sent by the beautiful singer with the choice of this song.

He tried to get Jaehyung's attention and he received it easily as it seemed that it had always been on him. The deep longing feeling shining through his dark orbs and the full dedication on each word he pronounced confirmed the few doubts Younghyun still had. He got even more captivated by the song itself and he didn't take long to understand why Jaehyung decided to choose it.

Even if the singer closed his eyes by time to time, Younghyun knew it was a full dedication, a present he addressed to him. He knew that it was more than a simple song he randomly chose. More than anything, he got the message easily. He knew the lyrics were meant for him. After all, it became their way to communicate.

[오늘 많이 힘들었던 하루였죠](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)   
[ _It was a really hard day today_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)

[그댈 보는 내 가슴이 아리네요 _  
__My heart aches for you_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)

[지친 그대를 위해 해줄 수 있는 건 오로지](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)  
 _The only thing I can do for you  
__  
_ 곁에 있어주는 것 밖에 못해 미안해요 __  
Is to be next to you, I’m sorry

[그댄 웃는 게 정말 예쁜 사람이라서](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)  
 _You’re so pretty when you smile  
  
_ 그 미소를 잃었을 때마다 _  
__So every time you lose that smile_

[내 전부를 다 줘서라도](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)   
[ _Even if I have to give my all_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)

[다시 또 되돌려주고 싶어요 _  
I want to give it back to you_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu_fBvpKtvY)

As he hummed the transition softly, Jaehyung opened his eyes in slow motion to meet Younghyun's strong gaze. His mind suddenly felt completely blank and he took a long time to return back to earth. Caught by the latter's charisma and this tinted hint in the way he looked at him, he forgot about the song to focus on Younghyun.

He felt his heart still pounding inside his chest, but he didn’t know if it was because of the usual stress, the song he chose or the powerful gaze laid on him. With a lump in his throat, he began to breathe a bit more heavily as he tried to control himself. He tried to recall the sweet melody but couldn’t. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he wanted to turn around, to try to hide from those scrutinizing eyes but got stopped before he had time to.

“Don’t move” Younghyun whispered and the deep tone of his voice made him shiver.

Lost, Jaehyung watched him as he stood straight, shoulders tense. Younghyun’s hand ran up the wall but he never looked away from Jaehyung. His fingers reached the switch and he flashed a reassuring smile tinted by some indescribable seriousness. Jaehyung almost felt his blood boiling and tried to control his suddenly stiff body.

One second later, darkness took over the place. Only a single beam of light from the corridor prevented the room to be completely wrapped by the night. Jaehyung's eyes slowly tried to get used to the sudden lack of light. He could only hear his own breathing, way too noisy at his opinion as he moved around to reach the wall nearby.

His legs felt like cotton candy and he was afraid he would completely melt soon. His hand reached a chair and he transferred his weight against the case, but unable to stand by himself any longer.

The silence reigned all around and for a moment, Jaehyung wondered if Younghyun was really there in the room. It seemed that he was the only one since he couldn’t hear the other’s steps or breathing, but that was maybe because of the way his heart pounded in his chest hid any other sound. He could feel his presence, near, but didn’t know if he could trust this kind of indescribable intuition.

“Younghyun?” he asked hesitantly, looking through the darkness toward the place the man was previously.

He slightly distinguished the silhouette in front of him, but before he had time to talk further, he felt the soft stroke of Younghyun’s hand on his face. He shivered at the contact but leaned in automatically.

“Is this song for me?” Younghyun whispered next to his ear, his thumb stroking the singer’s chin.

Jaehyung eyes half closed under the sweet touch and the soft breath against his skin. He didn't confirm, but all his soul was screaming the lovely secret his heart tried to keep silent. With a tender smile, Jaehyung couldn't see, Younghyun joined their lips. It was a mere brush and they parted only a few seconds later.

“Go on... Sing again.” Younghyun requested as he brought his body closer to Jaehyung’s.

Jaehyung could feel Younghyun’s warmth through the thin fabric of his clothes and he was pretty sure the other could also feel his heartbeats. He gulped and Younghyun swallowed his apprehension through another delicate kiss.

“Sing again for me.” He incited him again.

Without thinking any longer, Jaehyung complied. Standing beside the singer, Younghyun walked closer and their hips pressed against each other. His hand slid behind his back and he bent to kiss the offered skin in his neck above his collarbone.

Jaehyung’s voice was softer than it used to be on this song, but he meant the lyrics more than he ever did when he sang it before. The butterfly kisses made it hard for him to keep his tone steady, but he continued the whole song without interruption.

In the warm embrace, he forgot about their place, the world or any of his fear, only sharing his feelings with the man he grew up attached to in the last few months. He sang with his whole heart, somehow proud to be finally able to share this moment, those emotions with Younghyun.

[This is a song for you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)   
[ Oh I’m singing for you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)

[This is a song for you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)   
[ I’m singing for you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)   
_  
_ 내 모든걸 다 줄게   
_I’ll give you my everything_

[대신 울어주고 싶고](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)   
_I want to cry for you_  
  
내가 대신 아파해주고 싶어요   
_I want to hurt instead of you  
___  
다신 그대의 마음에  
_I don’t want any scars in your heart  
___  
상처가 나지 않았으면 해요  
_Ever again_

[누군가를 넘치게 _  
__When you love someone_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)

[좋아한다는 건](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)   
_So much that it overflows  
___  
참 신기하게도  
_It’s so amazing_

[그렇더라고요](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)   
[ _Because this is how it is_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzl1fW3SX9s)

The last words of the song trundled on his tongue and he felt Younghyun’s lips brushed his once again, like a reward. Unlike the previous time, Jaehyung caught the latter’s face between his hands and deepened the kiss. They parted and they took a moment to catch their breath, both feeling a bit feverish. Through the darkness, they looked toward each other, their eyes slowly accustomed to the lack of light.

"It's beautiful," Younghyun whispered, as if talking louder would break the connection between them. “You’re beautiful,” he added.

His hand climbed up along his back to reach the back of Jaehyung’s head and he distanced their faces of few centimetres. With the tip on his finger, he ruffled the hair falling on Jaehyung’s.

“Those lyrics... do you actually mean them?” Younghyun asked with slight hesitation.

Jaehyung looked away, between guilt and fear. He tried to avoid the insistent pressure growing in his stomach, but the latter’s presence so close made it even more difficult to think properly.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t expect things to turn this way,” Jaehyung said, a bit lost in a daydream

Jaw clenching, he took a deep breath and let his forehead fall above Younghyun's clavicle. He rested a moment there, enjoying the movements from the younger respiration and the feeling of his hands trying to comfort him with a circular motion in his back.

“I’m sorry Brian...” Jaehyung started again as he straightened his head. “Because I think I’m in love with you,” He confessed with shame, his voice lower than usual.

As he processed the words slowly, Younghyun almost jolted in surprise. His heartbeats fasten immediately and his hands froze on the other’s shirt. Subjugated with the confession he didn’t expect, he didn’t dare to move any more, waiting for the singer to continue.

“Not because I need your help, not because you made me closer to realize my dream than I ever have been before...” He explained, “Just because it’s you.”

Younghyun opened his mouth to answer but felt himself completely out of words for the first time in his life. He didn’t have to think further that Jaehyung was kissing him again.

"I love you," Jaehyung whispered between his lips, eyes closed.

Hands trembling and heart pounding, Jaehyung waited for an answer that never came. His expectations were almost forgotten as Younghyun cupped his face and he melted in another passionate kiss.

Under the kiss, they both got lost and forgot about their environment. They followed the growing desire emanating from each of them and let their body get closer to share those feelings boiling inside them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: I don't mind the reminders since I know I tend to get lost on the way and take some time but it's a bit weird when I don't ever identify you as a reader ^^'' Feedbacks works better :p  
> Hope you still like it <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yatta!! I posted it on timmmmmmeee (almost? lol) Are you proud of me? kkk  
> Thanks for your support!   
> Happy Easter & enjoy the soft Jaebri time~<3

The director was true to his words.

One week later, a meeting was held to decide what song will be used for their début single and two weeks were enough for the recording date to be planned. They both received the lyrics and partition for the five songs selected for their debut OP. The title song wasn’t decided yet, to match the concept they wanted to promote. Younghyun was not sure Rockish dance songs would suit them too, but at least it would be perfect with Jaehyung’s voice.

All the lyrics were nice, quite usual but still well done and it seemed to go with the 'passionate lover' image they wanted for him to start in the entertainment world.

Every time they rehearsed the songs, Younghyun felt caught by Jaehyung's charisma. He never mentioned it, but the way Jaehyung sang the more dancing song, with passion and dedication attracted him more than he thought. It was like discovering a new facet of Jaehyung and he found it particularly enthralling. He frequently got lost in his thought afterwards.

The souvenir of the unexpected way Jaehyung confessed made him slightly uncomfortable sometimes, but he didn't regret any second of it. Despite his secret wish to be more openly romantic, he didn't regret anything about the turn of the event during this night.

However, he felt more and more the urge to make things clear between them.

They were more than friends, for sure, but none of them actually talked about the implications. He did not even have the courage to properly reply to the confession yet. Not that he did not know already what those feelings were; he knew it with no doubt, he had for some time.

Just like he felt linked to Jaehyung, even if it seemed stupid to say, but later on when he finally went back on earth after the intimate moment they shared, he felt complete. It had been like he had found his other half. A part of himself he would never be able to bear the loss.

Yeah, he had to tell to Jaehyung how he felt, but he wanted the moment to be appropriate, planned. In one word: perfect, the way Jaehyung deserved it.

With this idea in mind, he started to work with Sungjin. With time, he learned how to get along with the guy. When he did not stick around Jaehyung, he was not so bad. He was smart, perspicacious and friendly, Younghyun learnt day after day. He was also very supportive of them and just for that, Younghyun was more decided to trust him.

With Sungjin and Sammy’s help, Younghyun slowly elaborated a plan. He was not fully convinced by it yet, but he felt too trapped by the time to doubt further.

While Jaehyung was working hard on the songs to prepare for their recording, Younghyun decided to use the opportunity to carry out the plan and possibly clarify his relationship with Jaehyung as well.

“I don't know if it's a good idea Younghyun...” Sungjin said, scampering behind the younger man in the corridor.

"Maybe," Younghyun admitted as he stopped his steps without turning around. “But I don't have any better idea and I don't think we can make them wait much longer.”

Sungjin did not answer, but Younghyun knew he was not too convinced. “Sammy agreed about the show already, but are you serious about it?” Sungjin asked again.

"He can do it," Younghyun stated, almost offended. “And you will perform too, right? If you’re there too, he will feel safer.”

“This is way too fast,” the older sighed visibly bothered and anxious. “He barely managed to sing in front of three persons, and the closest ones, how do you want him to sing in front of three hundred?”

“I... he really needs to,” Younghyun looked to the side and took a deep breath. “I know he can. He's amazing and I want everybody to know it as well.”

Sungjin looked at him and sighed.

“Younghyun... don’t think I don’t understand what you mean. I’ve wanted this for years and I’d be the happiest to see him succeed, but it isn’t going to happen just because we want it to.”

“Which is why you have to help me to prepare everything.”

“I’m not even sure we can convince him and...” Sungjin began his voice full of uncertainty.

“We have to,” Younghyun cut him. “If I can convince him, will you help me?” He asked as he turned to lock eyes with Sungjin.

“Are you sure about it?” The pianist asked back.

Younghyun nodded, his eyes fierce and full of determination.

“Then I will help as much as I can.” Satisfied by the answer and not waiting for more, Younghyun turned around and left.

 

Today was the first day of recording and if Sammy was supposed to tag along – just in case – Younghyun politely turned down his help. Not being exactly obedient, Sammy still came in the company's building, but Younghyun managed to convince him they would try without him and call him if they needed. Sammy agreed and Younghyun was grateful for his trust. Now, here he was heading toward the studios where Jaehyung was probably already waiting for him.

Indeed, when he came in the room booked for them, Jaehyung was there, pacing up and down in front of the pane, his face marked by his stress. On the other side of the pane, two men were adjusting a few things on the control table and Jaehyung occasionally sent them some worried glance. Stroking his hands against each other as he tried to breathe normally, Jaehyung did not even notice Younghyun's entrance.

“Jaehyung,” he softly called to catch his attention.

Surprised, Jaehyung stopped his steps and a little smile appeared on his lips.

“Younghyun,” he whispered, his voice almost sounding like a plea.

After a quick look toward the two men and a light greeting, he walked toward Jaehyung. He fought the urge to hug him and lightly stroke his shoulder. “How do you feel?”

With a smile, his eyes tinted by his fear, Jaehyung nodded. “I'm fine. Stressed, but fine.” He said with conviction. “This is what we aimed for during all those weeks, so I can't back up now.”

Younghyun nodded and let his hand run down Jaehyung's spine softly.

“We'll make it... You will make it.”

“I... hope so.” Jaehyung nodded.

Without thinking, Younghyun brought Jaehyung closer and he resolved himself to share a –friendly- hug to comfort him. He wanted to soothe his fear, ease his heart and keep him as close as he could, but with the two men working there, he knew he could not. When he walled aback, Jaehyung thanked him with a smile, understanding easily his dilemma.

He knew how people in this country could be with those matters. He knew it too well for experiencing it when he was younger. This kind of rumour could end a carrier in less time than it would take his director to tear up their contract.

Breathing out loudly, Jaehyung clenched his fist to give himself a bit of strength and walked to the closed room. The studio was quite small and in the soundproof room was standing a single microphone hung at the ceiling with headphones hanging and a music stand. Behind the window, Younghyun could see him perfectly as he settled behind the microphone and put the headphones on. His hands were slightly trembling, the way Younghyun saw it the first time he sang in front of him. He hoped it was a good sign.

Sadly, it did not seem to be such a good presage, when after fifteen minutes, Jaehyung still had not been able to sing one single word. The two technicians seemed to be pretty aware of the situation and did not complain, but their attitude showed how unusual it was for them.

Behind the pane, Jaehyung tried his best to not look at Younghyun or the technicians. His face was serious and his eyes were focused on the music sheet as if he wanted to forget everything besides the music.

After a few more minutes, Jaehyung gulped sadly and finally took off his headphones. He palmed his face and breathed out deeply. When he looked up again, his eyes met Younghyun's and the desperation he could see in those dark orbs took him back. Frowning, he stepped closer to the window to face the singer.

“I can't,” he mouthed.

He closed his eyes again and looked at the ceiling as he tried to hide his face from the powerful gaze he felt on him. Comprehensive, Younghyun put his hand on the pane and knocked lightly to call Jaehyung's attention.

“Do you need something? Anything?” he asked out loud, even if the latter could not hear him.

The other understood though and he nodded, with a sour laugh against himself and his own thoughts.

“I need you, Younghyun,” he answered guiltily in what seemed to be a mere whisper.

Younghyun's second hand came to clinch the bottom of the pane. He tried to fight back his desire to step in, take Jaehyung with him and leave this stupid idea, forget the recording and the contract, but he knew it was irresponsible of him to imagine such thing.

They had to do it, if not for the contract or for the public, for Jaehyung. This was his dream. They could not lose it so close to their goal. With a voice as controlled as he could with Jaehyung's desperate sentence still resounding inside his mind, Younghyun turned toward the two technicians.

“Can I go in?” He asked.

“Sure,” the younger man said from his seat.

“And can I stay inside? During the recording I mean...”

The two men looked at each other and the younger one shrugged.

“If you don't make any noise, it'd be fine,” the older answered.

Younghyun thanked them and entered the room. Jaehyung was still inside, blankly staring at the music sheet.

“Jaehyung,” he called. “Are you okay?”

The singer shook his head, but Younghyun was unable to tell if it was a yes or a no. Younghyun walked closer and raised Jaehyung's chin with his finger, forcing Jaehyung to look at him.

“I'm sorry,” he said, ashamed.

"Don't be," Younghyun answered, understanding his feeling easily.

Hesitantly, he glanced at the technicians and the whole room to finally land his eyes on Jaehyung.

“There're only two technicians for the sound and me.” He affirmed, justifying his words with a movement toward the almost empty room. “You already sang in front of four persons, remember?” He asked gently.

“Yeah... but it was Sungjin, Dowoon and Sammy, that's not the same.”

“Then just forget about them and sing for me again.”

“How could I forget them when I can picture their faces and feel their eyes all around me?” Jaehyung inquired, not really expecting an answer.

Younghyun tried to think as fast as he could when a sudden idea came to his mind. He could not give up and he might find a solution, but he also had another matter to solve fast.

“Jaehyung...” he said, his voice smooth and vibrating to the singer's ears. “If we can do it today... would you sing with me?”

“Sing with you?” Jaehyung repeated, “You mean... together?”

Younghyun nodded with a lopsided smile. It felt a bit like a trick, but Jaehyung agreed and Younghyun knew him well enough to be sure his lover would not go back on his world.

“For Sammy’s concert... one of our song... would you sing it with me?”

Eyes wide and mouth gaping, Jaehyung did not seem able to answer.

“I know you can. If you can record this song, I know you'd be able to sing there,” he said. “We can sing it, together,” he tilted his head and licked his lips, ill-at-ease when he did not receive any answer. “Please,” he pleaded.

Jaehyung's eyes were unsure, but Younghyun could see how he wanted to believe they could make it. He seemed to understand as well, yet he could not tell if that was not bothering Jaehyung as much as it seemed to please him. However, he ended up nodding lightly, almost to Younghyun's surprise who immediately took him into an embrace.

“Thank you,” he whispered next to his ears. “Thank you,” he said again, happy, as he loosened his embrace a bit.

Slowly, Younghyun seemed to remember the technicians' presence. If Jaehyung could not forget them, it had not been so complicated for him. Walking away from Jaehyung, he did his best to control his expression again and approached the sound material.

“Can you switch off the lights?” Younghyun asked the two workers, using the microphone.

“What?! Why?” Both men wondered out loud.

“Mind trick,” Younghyun joked and the men accepted the request.

A few seconds later, the whole room was dark. Only a few lights from the computers and the control table were visible and a green mark above the door. They could barely see each other’s faces with so few things, but once again, they could feel each other's presence. It would have been a lie to say they did not miss this proximity and they both could not resist the pleasant feeling.

"Close your eyes, Jaehyung," Younghyun ordered with a mere murmur.

Jaehyung obeyed and two hands brushed his skin, making him shiver. Once again, he felt Younghyun's warmth around his body and he almost sighed, suddenly calmed down. In the darkness, with Younghyun so close, Jaehyung could forget about the world, about everything.

Nest to his ears, Younghyun whispered the lyrics of their songs as he slowly rocked Jaehyung in his embrace. As quietly as he could, he lulled him with those lyrics he meant from the bottom of his heart, this wish he had now, stronger than ever. Soon, Jaehyung's soft whisper joined him. When they ended it, Younghyun could happily feel the singer was more appeased than before.

“Now, it's your turn,” he said and he switched on the microphone to let the instrumental start.

Slowly, Jaehyung began to sing. He was not really following the partition and the performance was not his best one, but Younghyun was very proud to hear him sing, proud to make him sing.

He knew it was only a matter of time before Jaehyung was able to do it perfectly. Just like he was now doing it when they were together.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like... THE most important chapter so I had to cut it in half to make it easier for me ^^''  
> If everything goes well, next one will arrive very soon!

It was late in the afternoon and Younghyun was standing on the wooden stage, checking again the acoustic of the auditorium they were supposed to play in. Around him, a lot of people were working, all focused on their task. The sound and light technicians were setting everything up for the show. Some students were perfecting their positions on stage with the lights, others were warming up and practising once again to make their performances the best possible.

Younghyun and Jaehyung did not join them for the rehearsal and they barely appeared during the run-through. They trained, a lot but not with the others. Younghyun had planned everything. He had taken care of every little detail to make this work. He worked with Jaehyung on two of their début song. It had taken a long time, but Jaehyung was now able to sing perfectly with their friends around as well as the staff of the company.

Jaehyung slowly got used to having the two men around in the studio – at least when he did not look at them – and even started to work with a teacher. Since Jaehyung began slowly to sing more easily, they began to work to sing it live, for this short performance.

Younghyun had chosen a B-side track to make it easier for Jaehyung. He was not really sure he was allowed to sing it in public before it was officially released, but the recording was done and the debut was planned to be soon, so Younghyun knew he could not wait any longer.

It Had To work.

He had worked with the staff to make the lighting around the crowd really dark and the one on stage brighter. It was a bit blinding, but this way, he hoped would not be able to see the crowd. Jaehyung always seemed to be more at ease in the dark.

They also worked on a performance medley they would play on the guitar as their opening act. The instrument seemed like a good way to make him grow used to the stage.

Really, he had planned everything for this event. For Jaehyung.

 

Since everything seemed to be done – at least for the things he could do – Younghyun thanked the staff and went down the stage. Jaehyung did not arrive yet. He and Younghyun decided it would probably better for him to come right before the show to prevent from having more stress from the other performers. Sungjin and Sammy agreed and Dowoon forced him into a game League of Legend to divert his attention in the meanwhile.

Now, Younghyun had a few hours before the beginning of the show.

Not caring about the other people or the curious gazes from the students, he went backstage. Taking his music player off his bag, he sat on a chair and let the music fill him. Whenever he felt his resolution weakening, he listened to the songs Jaehyung recorded.

His favourite was a low-quality recording of their composition he did with his phone. He played it again and again, singing along until he was sure he knew it by heart. He promised Jaehyung he would sing after all. He would sing this song after the end of the show. For Jaehyung As a reward for his efforts and to share those feelings he never dared to say out loud. Yeah, tonight, he would confess.

“Younghyun?” He heard from the door, calling him out of his thoughts.

Looking up at the guy standing in the entrance, Younghyun switched off the music and took off the earphones.

“Sungjin,” he stated and gave a slight bow.

“How are you?” the older asked, his guitar hanging on his back.

“I’m okay. You look surprisingly professional right now.”

“Thanks, I guess,” he laughed.

Silence came and none of them knew what to say. Sungjin was looking around the room and Younghyun waited.

“If you want to talk to Jaehyung, he's not here yet.” He said after a while.

“I know. We just ended our sound check. Everything is ready for the perf now,” Sungjin focused on Younghyun again and leaned against the dressing table. “Will you be fine at the bass? Woosung said his friend could replace you if needed.”

Younghyun nodded with a slight wince. He learnt how to play the bass, especially for Jaehyung. Guitar helped at first, but his skills were still a bit cheeky. With time he was sure he would be good enough to master it and stand beside Jaehyung, but time was what he lacked the most lately.

“I’m far from a professional level, but I can’t give up. I want to be there. I want to play so I can give him support on stage too.”

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Sungjin finally asked.

"You should know better than me," Younghyun answered.

“I can't tell,” the older admitted moments later. “Had it been only me, I would have said it’s vain. But since it's you... I keep thinking it might work. He grows stronger and more talented by your side. I did not tell him but I noticed the change,” he added with a smile toward Younghyun.

Grateful, the younger man nodded again and returned his smile. Sungjin's face turned a bit more concerned and took a deep breath.

“It's better... However, I’m not sure this is enough to make him sing in front of so many people.”

“It has to work,” Younghyun replied right away, “He sings in front of me, of you, Dowoon, Sammy even with your friend and few people of the staff already. He can do it.”

Younghyun's conviction made Sungjin smile wider. Their eyes met and the musician could see the determination and the pride in Younghyun's gaze.

“We will play together first and I'll do my best to help him, then he will sing,” he added. “It really has to work.”

Sungjin let him struggle with his thoughts for a moment. He seemed to be focused, to reassure himself and Sungjin gave him the time to recover.

“How is your song going by the way?” he said later.

“Huh?” Younghyun almost jumped on his chair and looked at Sungjin surprised. “Oh. Well... it’s going well… I guess.”

“So I heard,” He waited a bit more and called back Younghyun attention on him. “Why didn’t I hear it already after the hours I spent giving you feedbacks on the partition?”

“It's our song...”

“I will hear it eventually... Jaehyung always sings for me,” Sungjin joked.

“Maybe... but it is special for me and I want to share it with Jae before anyone else.

Sungjin breathed out slowly and patted Younghyun's shoulder lightly. He was not expecting this answer but somehow, he found it touching. This dedication, those feelings, he could see them shining between Younghyun's words. This was exactly what he had been wishing for Jaehyung since they met.

“Did you talk with the company about this event?”

Younghyun lowered his head and whispered a soft 'yes'.

“They didn’t reply. Our manager said they might drop by in secret, but I don’t know.”

Younghyun knew it might not be very useful, but at least he told them. When he decided to participate, it was to prove Jaehyung was worth their investment. To prove them, prove that he could make it and they did not waste time and money during their project.

“ Woosung said they’ll record all the perfs anyway, so I can still use that later on if they don’t come.”

Sungjin nodded and seemed to hesitate to voice out his thoughts.

 “Then...what about you Younghyun?”

“What about me?”

“What will you do?” he asked, his expression full of compassion.

"I'll help as much as I can. I'll do everything possible to make it work."

“That's not what I mean and you know it. What if he manages to do it? What about your plans? There's nothing left for you if he can do it”

Understanding flashed through Younghyun's gaze and his brown orbs grew darker.

“What will you do if he finally sings?”

Younghyun smiled and shrugged, “I'll stay by his side,” he answered with a soft smile.

With a last smile, Younghyun walked by Sungjin and put back his headphone as he left.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that made the whole story...  
> I started everything from this and it's really important for me.  
> I don't ask very often, but what are your thoughts on this??? Please lemme know!

Three hours later, Jaehyung was there, stepping quietly inside the empty auditorium. The public was not allowed in yet, but the whole room was dark and the students were already waiting behind the closed curtain. The atmosphere was already thrilling, strong and filled with this something, between anticipation and stress that everybody could feel before a show.

It might not be an official event or a big concert, but it was a start.

For the students of the university, it was the result of their work and Younghyun wanted it to be the same for Jaehyung and him as well. They worked hard for this and the pressure was high enough for both.

With the idea it would help Jaehyung to be more at ease, Younghyun offered to work on their compositions a bit more. They rehearsed well and Younghyun tried to calm Jaehyung down the best he could. He intertwined their fingers and his thumb stroked the older’s hand softly.

They did not notice the time go by until they heard a ringtone and everybody was running around them.

It did not take a genius to understand the event was going to start. They followed the move and they noticed the auditorium was full already. While the students were silently waiting behind the curtain their teachers were by their sides giving the last pieces of advice to the performers. Eventually, minutes later, they heard the director’s voice as he started his opening speech.

The old man talked for a few minutes to introduce the performers and thanking everybody for coming. When he left the stage, the whole building turned dark. Nobody dared to talk and only a few coughs were breaking the silence.

As the curtain rises the first students walked on stage and the show began.

Jaehyung and Younghyun were not supposed to go before the second half. They waited with all the patience they could gather, the older one trying everything he could to keep his mind off the crowd he could hear cheer so loudly. Younghyun brought him in a room separated from the others. They could not see nor hear anything, but they saw all the performers before anyway.

During the whole first part, they stayed in the students' room behind the auditorium. When the break started, they both stepped outside to avoid the students’ comments on their performances, their mistakes and the public’s reaction.

It was probably the best for them. Nobody bothered them the whole time.

Sammy was nowhere in sight since the beginning of the event, probably wandering backstage to check if everything was fine. He had credits on the organisation and production of the performance after all and he aimed to it to be perfect.

Sungjin and Dowoon dropped by to greet them but left fast to leave them alone and prepare for their performance that would open the second part.

They did not move during the interlude when everybody passed by. Some people were checking their make-up, other grabbing 'street clothes' to meet friends and family, but all seemed way too busy to care about them.

When the ringtone resounded for the second time this night, calling everyone back around the stage, Jaehyung stiffened.

“I can't...” he whispered, almost pleading.

Younghyun stood behind and hugged him. He tried to soothe him until he felt Jaehyung's muscles relax. Some people walking by sending them weird looks, seeing how close they were to each other might be a bit suspicious, but Younghyun did not care and Jaehyung did not seem to notice at all.

“Don’t you want us to be on stage together?”

“I course I want to but...”

“You can't give up now, Jaehyung. Not before trying.”

“I know... I know. But what if I can't?”

“You can. You will,” Younghyun reassured him.

“But what if I really can't?” Jaehyung

“Then I'll find a way to divert the attention and nothing will change. I'll stay by your side no matter what happens.”

Jaehyung agrees and they decided to warm up a bit and to forget about the pressure if possible. Waiting for their turn was terribly stressful, but they would not have to wait much more now. Soon, their friends were on stage and they both waited at the side since they knew they had to join them right after.

As usual, Sungjin playing the guitar Dowoon at the drum and they were accompanied by a kid called Junhyeok at the keyboard. Younghyun never met him before, but he trusted Sungjin’s choice to evaluate the guy’s skills.

When their turn came, Jaehyung looked as lost as when Younghyun saw him during their first rehearsal. Jaehyung never performed in front of a public and he was particularly stressed about it, but Younghyun kept his confident smile.

As weird as it seemed, he was not really stressed. Of course, he was scared for Jaehyung, but he wanted to believe in his skills, in their future. Keep the faith.

They heard Sammy introduce them as the next guests and they settled for their entrance. They waved at the three who left them the front-stage and settled on two chairs with their guitars.

They started with an acoustic version of various popular songs, leaving the public sing the lyrics instead. Jaehyung was hesitant at first but he slowly let his hands and mind follow the flow. With the spots, he could not see the people around and could only distinguish Younghyun’s shape on the chair beside him. Together, they managed to play the way they had planned to and Younghyun could not be happier.

When the instrumental part ended, they received a lot of cheers and they bowed. They put their guitar away, getting ready while the stage darkened. Quickly, the technicians brought the microphone and Younghyun grabbed the bass he borrowed to join the others at the back of the stage.

They were here to support Jaehyung and gave him an extra minute to breath.

When the settings were ready, Dowoon began his countdown behind them to give them the start.

They planned to start with gradual lightning, to make it easier for Jaehyung and the stage looked particularly dark when the drums started.

The other three musicians joined soon after and they played the intro cleanly but nothing answered the soft sound the way it should have. Jaehyung looked frozen on his spot in front of the mike. They looked at each other with worry, eventually stopping to play and only Sungjin's encouraging keys on the guitar could be heard.

Jaehyung wanted to hide. The public low rustle rang loudly to his ears, creating this overwhelming impression of being trapped. Despite the lack of lights, he could hear them, feel their eyes observing him and almost burn his skin. His heartbeat fastened and he felt his throat tighten.

Jaehyung knew his friends were there to support him. He knew Younghyun was near, but it was not enough.

He could not feel his body warmth, his reassurance and his soothing whispers. He could feel his eyes on him, his compassion and probably his deception. Hands trembling, Jaehyung tried to swallow but could not. He breathed heavily with hope to steady a bit respiration, without success.

When he opened his mouth, no sound filtered and his voice seemed desperately caught in his throat.

He could not sing, he could not even form a single sound or call Younghyun for help. He was literally immobilized on this stage, standing stupefied in front of the waiting crowd.

The few minutes until the younger joined him seemed to last for years. Younghyun never felt as bad and hurt as he felt for Jaehyung. The stage was still dark, but the younger man could not dare to hug him. He wanted to keep him against his chest, erase his fear and soothe his soul as he did during the recording. He could not; did not dare to. Not in this situation, with so many people. He did not know how this hug would be interpreted, but he could not damage the carrier they did not even begin to build.

Then, he remembered those words Jaehyung told him when they first talked _“singing is a way to express our feelings, release our soul for everybody to see, it's made for people to catch the message we give through the song... that's what I wanna do...”_. He knew this was the reason Jaehyung could not sing freely, but maybe, he could be the one to reassure Jaehyung again.

He tried to think fast and found a solution.

If Jaehyung was afraid to open his heart, then Younghyun could be the one to show his, for everybody to see if they had too. If he could not show him the way he usually did, using his touch, then maybe he could follow Jaehyung's way and sing his heart out.

Maybe his confession was coming a bit earlier than he thought.

Following his instinct, he ran toward Jaehyung and helped him to reach the chair at the side. Seemingly coming from nowhere, Sammy was there. He knew the man too well already, he could tell he was ready to help right away.

Younghyun did his best to tear up from Jaehyung and came back to the centre of the stage. Using his best acting skills, he tapped the microphone, pretending it was not working properly.

He called for Sungjin and grabbed the second mike hidden beside the drum set. Junhyeok sitting in front of the piano seemed a bit lost by the turn of the event. He and Dowoon waited for an indication with worry when Younghyun called everyone's attention on him.

Slightly awkward, he did his best to act apologetic as he told everybody they had a technical problem. He joked about the risks of a live show. Understanding, people began to chuckle, amused and sorry for the problem the poor boys had to face.

After a light bow people could barely see, he joined Sungjin and they both headed close to Dowoon, hiding behind the drums. Sungjin's eyes were sad, concerned and Younghyun knew he wanted to help just as much.

Younghyun clenched his hand on the microphone and close his eyes a brief second.

“You still have the partition we sent you, right?” He asked, his voice low yet strong.

“Yes, I have it on my phone, but…” Sungjin answered, half-guessing his intentions.

“Can you play the song?” Younghyun said again, more commanding than really asking.

“I guess I can but we never rehearsed that. It won’t come out so well,”

“Just play,” Younghyun ordered before he walked back and apologized in the mike again.

The three musicians exchanged some rapid words as they looked for the partition. When they found it, they barely waited before they began hesitantly.

The start was a bit awkward. Despite the lack of preparation, they all managed to catch the beat and play, Younghyun joining at the bass as well as he could.

Thankfully, the four were good musicians and they answered to each other, almost joking around, prolonging the opening more than necessary. Younghyun did not miss to make a few comments as they slowly got the rhythm perfectly.

They passed the first bridge and with a sign from Younghyun, they transitioned smoothly to the beginning of the song as if it had been planned that way.

Right on time, Younghyun began to sing. The song felt foreign. He might have worked in secret in the studio, it felt new. He knew there was no use to try to sing the song the way Jaehyung did. His voice was not as soft and clear as him so he allowed himself to adapt the song to make it fit his voice.

살다 보면 맘대로 되는 날이  
In life, there aren’t many days  
그리 많지는 않았죠  
When things go your way  
사실 안 그런 날이 많았죠  
There are more days when it didn’t go my way  
오늘도 그런 날이 되어버릴까  
Will today be another one of those days?  
고민이 많이 되기는 하네요  
I am pretty worried

이 말을 하고 나면 그대와 난 다시  
After I tell you these words  
지금처럼 웃는 얼굴로  
I’m not sure if we can go back  
다시 돌아갈 수 있을지 모르겠지만  
To smiling like we are now  
그래도 해야겠어요  
but I have to  
난 그대를  
because I

좋아합니다  
Like you  
참으려 해봤지만  
I tried holding it back  
더는 안되겠어요  
But I can’t anymore  
이제야 말할 수 있겠어요  
Now I can tell you  
사랑하고 싶어요  
I want to love  
그댈  
You

Somehow, it felt like the song was stronger, more when he was singing it. He hoped Jaehyung also loved this kind of vibes. Using the lyrics as his, he looked toward Jaehyung as he repeated the sentence that was expressing his feelings the most at the moment. This was the occasion to share those feelings he felt so strong but never said openly.

What song would be better than the one they wrote together, the one he planned to sing as a confession? How could he prove his love better than sharing it in front of so many people, not caring if they would understand, not caring about what they would think? This was his battle, his confession. For Jaehyung.

흔들리고 있는 그대의 눈빛  
Your eyes are shaking  
내 맘을 흔들어 놓고 있네요  
It’s shaking up my heart

지금이 지나가면 그대와 난 다시  
After this moment  
자연스러웠던 우리로  
I’m not sure if we can go back  
다시 돌아갈 수 있을지 모르겠지만  
To being natural  
그래도 해야겠어요  
But I have to  
난 그대를   
Because I

His voice trembled on a few parts and he didn’t make it as perfect as it sounded in his head, but he listened to the song enough times from Jaehyung to remember it by heart.

좋아합니다  
Like you  
참으려 해봤지만  
I tried holding it back  
더는 안되겠어요  
But I can’t anymore  
이제야 말할 수 있겠어요  
Now I can tell you  
사랑하고 싶어요  
I want to love

난 그댈 이렇게 생각해왔지만  
I’ve thought of you like this  
만약 그대는 아니라면  
But if you don’t feel the same

그저 ‘미안해’란 한마디만  
You just need to tell me  
해주면 돼요  
“I’m sorry” and  
  
I’ll be fine

좋아합니다  
Like you  
참으려 해봤지만  
I tried holding it back  
더는 안되겠어요  
But I can’t anymore  
이제야 말할 수 있겠어요  
Now I can tell you  
사랑하고 싶어요  
I want to love  
그댈  
You

The music faded slowly and he bowed politely. The public started clapping loudly and he smiled. He sent a quick glance toward Sungjin and Dowoon who applauded as well and bowed again to thank him for his help.

Forgetting the people in front of him, his pounding heart incited him to find Jaehyung.

He wanted to know if he understood his feelings, he wanted to know his reaction to his confession. When his eyes reached to the place Sammy and Jaehyung were a minute before, he met his manager’s gaze, smiling at him. Surprised, Younghyun frowned and looked for Jaehyung as he walked down to join them.

When he finally noticed Sammy alone, he only had time to see Jaehyung by the door, shock visible on his face as he ran away.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- To be deleted -

Sorry guys, this is not a chapter, but since it's been a while already since the last update, I thought I might have to give some info.

First, I really Love this story and the characters, so I didn't drop anything.

In fact, I already have a few more chapts - pretty much all - but they need some more work and I started thinking about the previous posts as well. As you surely noticed, English is not my first language and this story is VERY heavy on description and while I tried to go deeper into the characters, I felt a lot of the description should be lighter while some important things I wanted to convey were still missing. I guess I'm struggling with that simply because I'm far from being an author, but I'm pretty sure I can do something to make it easier to read. 

I started cross-posting too, to see if it would help. I'm not sure if I'll change the chapts first or update still, but well, here is the explanation you deserve in case you were wondering where I disappeared (lol)//

Thanks for the ones who still follow this! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any suggestion, prompt, cheering or just to ramble with me, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/MelodiaChi) [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/melodiachu/) [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/MelodiaChu) (tho I didn't start on that XD)


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